Reclaiming Human Connection in the Age of Technology

Technology is a good thing…except when it is not.

Our heads are so buried in our phones and other technologies that we need to step back and just smell the roses so to speak.

What happened to simple human kindness. A smile as you pass someone on the street or a thank you when someone holds the door open for you?

I say it is time to cut back on the technology. Let’s perform simple tasks that will make people feel good again. Here are some tips on how to perform simple actions. Cutting back on technology and performing a kind act take very little time and can make a big difference in someone’s life!

Call your mother (or father or sister or friend) just to chat. No text or email. Find a quiet place and take 5-10 minutes and listen to what is being said. You might learn more in those few minutes than you have in the last 6 months. It will also make your mother’s day!

Help a stranger. Does your neighbor need help getting to the store? Drive them. Does your small child or grandchild need someone to play with? Sit on the floor or couch and play patty cake. It will make you both feel lighter and takes only a few minutes.

Say something nice to someone. As you walk down the hallway at work or pass someone on the sidewalk, give them a smile or just wave hello. This small gesture might be the one thing that makes their day brighter.

Dig out your manners. When you were young did you get away with saying ‘yea’ or being disrespectful to others? I sure didn’t. It was yes ma’am, no sir, please and thank you. It seems that respect, core values and common courtesy left with the emergence of more and more technology.

Don’t let your cell phone be an excuse to forget your manners.

Clean out your closet…then donate to someone in need. Do you have clothes in your closet that still have good wear or are brand new? Do you really wear all those shoes lying in the bottom of your closet? What about all those purses, scarves, etc. on the top shelf gathering dust?

Take an hour and bag up these clothes. Give them to those in need. Here are some examples. Give a dress or pant suit to someone who lost their job and may need something to wear to an interview. Give to the Salvation Army or Goodwill or a Church Shelter. Give some of your kids old toys to other kids on your street or those in foster care.

Volunteer. This probably takes a little more time but can be one of the most rewarding things you can do. I volunteered for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at a local hospital 4 hours a week for 5 years and I have to say it was Awesome!

The nurses always thanked the volunteers but I didn’t feel I was doing that much. It is so fulfilling and the time just flies by. Here are a few other places you can volunteer. Nursing homes, schools, soup kitchens or public libraries.

Thank a Veteran. It only takes a few seconds to thank someone who has or is serving in any branch of the armed forces. I really appreciate all sacrifices Veterans make so that I can have the freedoms available to me here in the United States.

Take a Walk. Start with 5-10 minutes when you can. Leave your phone at home or in the car. Take the time to look around and really see what you miss when you only look at your phone. I personally love to people-watch.

Go to the park or the mall or down the street. Meet and talk to your neighbors. You will probably learn something new each time you go out. And you will feel better with any additional exercise you can get during your day.

Offer your seat or chair. Do you regularly take the bus or ride a subway? Do you attend public meetings or church affairs where it is standing room only? Offer your seat to someone who needs it worse than you do.

Maybe a mother with kids needs to get off her feet for a few minutes. Maybe an older person is frail and needs to sit down. I have to say most of the time I can find someone that needs a seat worse than I do.

Pay it forward. I truly believe it is better to give than to receive even when I can’t really afford it or can’t give what I want. My husband and I feel blessed for what we have received in our lives so we try to pay it forward to others. We don’t expect anything in return and mostly give anonymously.

For example, at Christmas we take what we would have bought for ourselves and we buy for others. We pick families through the church or someone in our own family or someone else who needs something we can give. Some things that I try to do throughout the year. Leave a bigger tip when you eat out. Pay for someone’s order in the drive through for the car behind you. Roll your neighbor’s trashcans to the curb.

That extra dollar or two you leave on the table for the waitress might finish paying for her groceries or electric bill. Whatever you choose to do (and it does not have to be monetary), it will come back to you in ways you cannot imagine.

Give blood. Are you able to give blood on a regular basis? If so, please do. Giving blood one time can help 4 people! This is something I try to do on a regular basis because I have O negative blood which means anyone can receive my blood. It probably takes less than an hour total time and it can literally save someone’s life. It is also a good use of technology.

Hold the door for someone…or for several people. I see people talking on the phone go through a door and don’t even realize they let it shut in another person’s face. When you open a door, look around and see if you could help someone by holding it open a few more seconds or minutes. Try not to be so absorbed in your phone call that you make coming through a door harder for someone else.

Sit for free. There are so many people that could use your help to sit with someone. You could sit with your brother’s kids while he takes his wife out to dinner for some ‘adult’ talk. You could sit with your friend’s grandmother who is homebound while your friend has some ‘free’ time. You could sit with your single parent neighbor’s child while they run some errands and get some ‘me’ time. This type of sitting does not take much time and could really help someone out.

Deliver a meal…and visit for 5-10 minutes. There are so many ways to help people out by cooking, including leftovers from the night before. Do you know someone who had a death in the family? Take them a home-cooked meal a few days after everyone has gone home. Do you have a sick friend? Take them a bowl of soup.

You can volunteer for Meals on Wheels and deliver them on your lunch hour. In addition to delivering food, take an extra few minutes to talk with them. You will probably make their day.

House/Pet sit. I have a friend that went on vacation with her family but they couldn’t take their dogs. I offered to go feed them each day without them paying to board them. Each day I went over, checked the house, and fed and watered the dogs. I then went outside as the dogs did their business and played ball with them for a few minutes.

While this is not really my favorite thing, I was happy to do it because I was helping my friend save money. She would have less to worry about while she was away. And it only took about an hour. I was also allowed to swim in their fabulous pool…awesome side benefit.

Hand Write a Letter. How long has it been since you have written someone a letter with pen and paper. Do you use email or Facebook or some other social media? I have an aunt who still writes letters by hand. I always get excited when I get a letter from her in the mail. It is more personal because I know she took the time to write it out herself.

It really doesn’t take that much time to hand write one but I usually end up sending her an email because it is faster. Of course if your internet is down or who you want to write to does not have a computer it might be something to consider.

Schedule a visit. Do you or someone you know visit someone in a nursing home? This is something that would not take a lot of time and would be greatly appreciated. A lot of residents don’t get regular visitors.

Schedule an hour to go by the local nursing home and visit as many as you can while you are there. The people you are visiting will be so appreciative and it will make you feel good. I used to love to listen to my grandparents and hear about what their life was like.

Add an item. When you go grocery shopping would it break your budget if you added one extra item? If not, then you can help different people all year long by spending a few extra dollars and no extra time because you are already there.

Here are a few examples. Buy a bag of pet food and donate it to the local shelter. Buy a toy to have on hand or donate them at Christmas. Buy a case of water and pass them out to those in the heat all day (it gets very hot in Texas).

Donate books to a local library. Do you know how many books you have packed away in the garage or scattered around throughout the house? They could be put to better use by taking them by your local public library for others to use. Throwing them out seems just a waste. There are still many people (adults and children) that don’t have electronic devices and go to the library to read. The more books donated the more choices you can give them.

Be nice to someone you don’t like. No technology needed. Very little time needed. Try to put in the past whatever you don’t like about a certain person. Then offer them a hello or a kind word. Think positive and reach out even if they don’t reciprocate in any way. Just remember to treat others the way you want to be treated.

I hope the information above inspires you to give a little of yourself to others. We are always talking about staying healthy and I think that includes doing good deeds just because you can.

Are there other tips you could share? Let me know something you have done for someone in the comments below.