"Don't Think It's Funny"

I got home from work today to a delightful tiny surprise.  One of my very favorite people had sent me a full-length letter, folded into a tiny greeting card, which my boyfriend put on my desk chair for me to find.  There was a moment of pure joy as I realized what the small missive was, followed by at least 10 minutes of pleasure as I read her words.  Somehow, even in this day and age of blogs, facebook messages, g-chat, and texting (don't even get me started on texting!) there is nothing quite as satisfying as a handwritten letter from a good friend.

She mentioned how much she had been enjoying my blog...  My blog!?!  And I realized that I didn't even know what song I was on, I have gotten so immersed in school, studying, work, and travel.  In the past 10 nights, I have spent 6 in a bed that is not my own.  I write this not as an apology, but more as a gratitude for remembering my blog- because she reminded me how much I have been enjoying it.

So I went through my process of looking up my song on the Sister Hazel website, and then looking up the lyrics on another website, all while listening to a you-tube version of the song to get me inspired.  Today's song is: "Don't Think It's Funny".

I yeah I sit and watch the sky It sometimes talks to me
(Come on talk to me)
You yeah you say you'd rather die
You say what's on the TV, TV no, no, no, no, no

Just today, I was at my parents' house, and my mom commented that 'young people today' are losing their communication skills as technology takes such an important role.  What are we missing when we watch tv instead of watching the sky, send a facebook note instead of a handwritten letter, or text instead of picking up the phone?  I sometimes feel like I was born in the wrong generation- because I love my letters, and genuinely hate texting.  Yet, although I can see that technology can block our contact with others- I also can see how much it can help.  I do not think technology itself is the problem.  

I'm in a Gestalt therapy class this semester, and in Gestalt theory, we humans are always interrupting contact- full mindful presence.  When contact with another person, or just with the here and now becomes too intense- we interrupt it.  This can come in many shapes and sizes- making joke when I have just found out horrible news, daydreaming during meditation, zoning out during a lecture.  Of course, sometimes we need to interrupt contact because we need a chance to breathe.  When one of my favorite clients broke his ankle at work this summer, I came home and purposefully watched three episodes of Modern Family.  All I wanted then was to withdraw for a little while, and stop obsessing about what I could have done differently.  I see this as a healthy interruption.  It's only when the interruptions become habitual and involuntary that they are a problem.  Technology is rife with ways to break contact, and become habitual and involuntary.  However, I imagine that as long as there have been people, there have been ways to interrupt contact.  Maybe someone lost themselves obsessively in a novel, instead of 6 hours of television (of course I never do this today), or maybe they had to communicate, but hid themselves behind false words.  Technology may make it easier, but it didn't invent the game.

Gonna take my time 'cause you're wastin' mine
And you're not too kind and I don't think it's funny no
Gonna take my time 'cause you're wastin' mine
And you're not too kind and I don't think it's funny no, no, no, no

I think these lyrics are saying something like, "if you're not going to real- you're wasting my time".  I believe genuine presence with another person is one of the most beautiful gifts there is.  And maybe Sister Hazel's right- if I'm not there, maybe I'm just wasting time.