Otis Unplugged

The (Misplaced) Unrepentant Texan offered this piece of thought from the Washington Post. I took to thinking and you know where that leads.

The basic question: What pieces of technology could we do without?

I used to consider myself a Luddite. I really did. One of my favorite song lines ever is "Blow up your TV, throw away your paper, move out to the country, build you a home. Have a lot of children. Eat a lot of peaches. Try to find Jesus on your own." Thank you Mr. Prine.

Anymore, though, I'm a slave to this age of cell phones and DirecTV. I can't wake up without an alarm clock or the promise of any early morning flight to Las Vegas. I don't like watching TV unless I can hit a button and learn everything about the show, from the year it was made to the name of its script. For instance, did you know that every episode of "Friends" begins with the words "The One?" For instance, last night's episode was called "The One With Monica's Boots." Every episode. Fascinating. Thing is, I stopped liking the show a long time ago (about the time Ross turned into an idiot). Regardless, I find the show titles quite exciting.

And yet, I long for a life less complicated. A long for a quiet book-reading afternoon on my back deck. I long for hikes around a wooded lake with my dog and wife. I long for a quiet world where the loudest noise is the waves crashing on a beach or a squirrel breaking a branch as he jumps from one tree to another.

This new year must bring with it something perfectly simple. Life need not be so complicated, nor need it be plugged in.

If the new year brings simplicity, I promise to return the favor by bringing a case of optimism and a bag of chips.