Technical Difficulties

I'm currently at a work table in front of my built-in entertainment center, my laptop tethered by cord to my Apple TV device (one I've had for several years).  Why?  Because, apparently, the little box needed some TLC - not the television station, but the acronym alluding to attention and alteration.  I'm currently updating the software relevant to the times.

That has me thinking of our wild and wondrous lives.  We don't work well when we are bogged down with outdated ways of thinking or being or behaving in the world, do we?  I am certain I've needed a reset more than once in my adult life, and it hasn't ever been as simple as a cord and a few control inputs.  Usually, it's felt more like a destructive reboot (or a literal boot to my bum).

My Cache, Recycle Bin, and Downloaded Files get clogged in this amazing and connected life; and sometimes the overwhelmed circuits of my brain and body call for a spontaneous shut-down.  Having been in bed nursing a migraine three straight days, I realize this blog post was in the works for a while.  Sometimes my mind is more foolish than I'd care to admit, because I tend to dismiss the signals it's wisely urging me to heed.  That's when it will shut down without ceremony.

Confession:  the first three paragraphs were penned on 15 December.  It's 11 January - a whole new year - and I've got the second Apple TV device to update for my roommate's entertainment system.  I've been working so much around the house and having contractors in and out, not to mention the holiday-specific parts of life, that I delayed the thought until now.  Ironically, the post I wrote yesterday (Death and Taxes) had to do with updating software. 

There's a theme working here, I notice.

Often, when electronics are wonky in their operation, it's advisable to "cycle power."  That merely means that power is turned "off" and then back "on," usually with an interval in between those modes of operation.  When all else fails, unplug.  Other times, a factory reset is required to clear the system of interference (like cleaning out the lint filter on the dryer).

This week, even amidst the fearsome to-do list, I let myself off-the-hook for my morning gym sessions.  That's no small thing, given that I spend that time with my bestie; and excusing myself from our 0530 sweat sessions meant I'd get a little more sleep, but miss out on much-needed buddy time.  Factory resets - getting down to essentials - sometimes ditch the good with the bad; but they're often necessary in this life of incessant inputs.

Jotting with Johnna:

• How do you attend to and alter your life when you need a reset?
• What have you learned "the hard way" from refusing to rest?
• Who might help you be more mindful of the need to "cycle power?"

Remember:
Machines get overheated and people get overwhelmed; but there are ways to keep a system operational.  You are so very worthy of the reset, the act of cycling power, and the effort of updates to your software from time to time.  Find someone who holds you accountable to rest when you are resistant so you can avoid catastrophic system failure (or in my case, migraines).  Think of it as a firewall or fail-safe friend. 

Stay tuned.  Stay focused.  Stay well.