ask away

 i'm old enough to remember having to look things up in actual phone books and encyclopedias.  now that we can instantly search everything, gone is the cerebral process of mental organization and problem-solving of that particular kind.  

while i'm all for embracing modernity, things like knowing how a dictionary works, the dewey decimal card catalogue system...well, i rather miss them.   

so i've started a little game with myself.  when it comes to needing a piece of information, before i instantly search it online, i pause and think to myself, "is there someone i can ask directly or is there another way of finding out this information, even if it takes a bit longer?  might it be more rewarding?"  

if the answer is yes, i go about it.  i think it's rather nifty to spend time with a real person asking how to perfect a recipe or when to dig flower bulbs up; when the best time to plant a certain seed is, or how to fix something that's broken.  

yes, it may not be as fast, but there's a mental process and relationship involved that i think is just as good, if not better.

so next time you start to ask Siri or Google a question, why not ask a real person?  i'll be interested to hear about it!