Advancements

This morning, I had the delight of preparing an Easter gift bundle for my mother.  The room I do this work in is one of the six bedrooms of my home.  I am at peace in that space, especially when I'm creating something.  As I do this work, I always choose a movie from my huge collection of VHS casettes.  Today, it was a recorded episode of Hart to Hart.  I simply love that show.  As I consider how technology suggests I get rid of all those tapes in favor of DVD's, and then suggests I replace all of that with blue ray versions, I must stop and consider how intelligent all that technology is.  Sure, my tapes take up much more room, but I'm not unhappy with that.  I have the space.  It's the same with my records.  The world suggested that tapes was the way to go until cd's showed up on the scene and now it seems that digital format is the way to go for music.  I'm wondering, though, if all these advancements are really moving us forward.  Sure, I enjoy my MP3 player as I walk, but I rather do enjoy the experience of going to the record player and turning the record over once the first side is played.  There's something nostalgic about the whole thing.  The one thing I love about my VHS tapes is that I can still record from the tv on them and once I take them out of the machine, they keep their place once I put them back in.  DVD's can't boast the same ease of retrieval if you take it out half way through a movie.  It begs the question, are we really getting ahead with all this stuff?  Of course, I liken this to all the advancements in weight-loss products and exercise equipment.  Let's face it, we're fatter than ever and it seems no matter how much money you're willing to pour into your weight-loss products, the results seems fewer than ever before.  Maybe it's time to hold off on the next new thing.  I don't have an IPad nor am I interested in the IPad 2, nor do I think I will ever be interested in that.  I like to think I'm done with believing there is some weight-loss product or machine out there that can expedite what I've known all along.  It's simply effort over time.  Just like getting up to change the record or to actually press stop on the VCR (where is that remote?), all I have to do is put one foot in front of the other.  I'm willing to keep doing that...after all, I'm worth it.