Hectic pace of today's world frustrates some

PRIME July 2012 By Jane D. O'Donoghue Special to PRIME Often I feel that I must hurry. There are calls to make, emails to answer, phone messages nagging, friends anxiously awaiting a Facebook response and of course, the ever present date book and calendar. I don't have most of the latest gadgets to remind me either. In defense of myself, I'm not a curmudgeon, or a Luddite. I simply want to know, what's the rush? I enjoy my computer and its peripherals. My cell phone is handy, and I use it when I need to. Yet, I don't feel the urge to be in constant communication with others. Why should I maintain a running conversation by texting or messaging when I'll be talking to them soon? Must I know they're delayed in traffic, or they might stop for bread and milk? Just come home soon unless there's a problem. The cell phone, no matter the type, has become a new appendage. Today, we drive up for coffee or sandwiches to save time at home. We honk at someone who doesn't turn right on red when we think they should. We press the elevator button repeatedly and hit the close button to hurry things. We don't know our friendly bank tellers because we opt for the ATM instead. Even the local pharmacists wouldn't recognize us because we email or call the order in and then go to the drive-up window to pick it up. Friends with the most sophisticated gadgets can check their email, the weather, breaking news, play games and conduct research. Photos can, and are, taken at all events. People might sit in front of you and interrupt the conversation to check for the latest text from whomever. Is it earthshaking news? Rarely. Many of the devices are handheld and the script small and fast. I need something a little larger to read easily. Shall we read the latest on an e-book? There are pros and cons with those. I prefer to hold a book, relaxing and losing myself in the story. Others have readily accepted e-readers and might never return to their local library. When breaking news, local, national, and international, can be accessed on a hand-held device, rendering the evening news outdated. Where are we going with all this? We hear a weather report every 10 minutes. Why? Do we need to watch the radar move across the state while we're cozy at home? Holidays seem to be the salesmen's delight. We have taken days designated for respect, historical memorials, honors to servicemen, religious observances and made them irrelevant. Why should we honor George Washington and Abraham Lincoln in February, when the focus is buying a car? Easter has become a spring holiday without mention of why it's commemorated. Labor Day, the holiday meant to honor working people, is instead the last summer weekend to rush to the mall for back-to-school shopping. Memorial Day, which should be to honor our fallen soldiers, has become a long weekend rather than a one-day holiday. The same goes for Columbus Day. Who remembers the date was Oct. 12, not a long weekend? Where are we going with this frantic pace? Why are we trying to get ahead of everyone? Reminds me of the little boys in kindergarten elbowing their way to the front so they can be first in line. Is this where it all begins? Obsessed drivers want to be in the left hand lane so they can get ahead of everyone. They say, move over, I'm in a hurry. Why? Seconds saved? The highways are clogged with weekend vacationers who spend more time in their cars than on the beach, the mountains or at a show. This is where I morph into a curmudgeon. I do not shop on holidays. I don't know if they miss me, but I must take a stand. Shops, car dealerships, grocery stores, and other forms of commerce are open seven days a week. Huge malls and strip malls are also open every night. Is there really enough business to justify all that energy and personnel to lure customers? We should be considering the conservation of energy and allow business to consider their part too. Wouldn't it be great if at least for one day a week we could stay at home with family or take a leisurely walk to a park? A few hours at the latest movie might be a family event. A living room or porch picnic can be a change of pace. Let's get out of our cars, leave the gadgets resting, and actually talk to each other. What's the rush? Jane D. O'Donoghue is a Hungry Hill native and retired school librarian. Her writing has appeared in local and regional publications.