Electronic Fad

Pause for one second and think about the number of electronics you are currently using. I am currently using the computer and listening to my iPod, which is a surprisingly small number of electronics I am using. Most of the time we find ourselves using our phone, on the computer, and listening to music and/or watching TV all at the same time, and on these individual electronic devices we will be doing multiple things, I have three tabs open on my computer right now and under some tabs there are even more tabs open.

This dependence on electric devices sounds exhausting, but most of us are unable to even go a day without using some sort of electric device. I constantly have my phone within reach, in case of an "emergency", but truthfully I am 20, I do not have anyone who need to ask me questions after work hours, I do not have kids, I do not own a house, I do not have a spouse, the chances of me having an "emergency" are very slim. The real truth of why most of us cannot handle being separated from our electronics is the thrill of them. We can go from being bored to having a thousand things to entertain you with one device.

Now I do not want to get into the debate about how the new generations are doing poorly because they need electronics at all time, but I simply want to establish that people now need these devices and that is going to cause change. I am one of the Event and Marketing interns here at The Mustard Seed, and although I have done some print marketing most of the marketing I do now is online. It is amazing how specific marketing is sent to target audiences. My boyfriend and I recently broke up and immediately I had ads on Facebook for dating sites and before the break up Facebook was giving me ads for wedding related stuff. It was shocking how quickly Facebook realized I needed to be placed in a different demographic, it was even before I had told everyone about the break up. I wanted to tell Facebook that it had only been a few hours, I am not ready to starting dating again, and I seriously doubt I will meet that gorgeous guy you are advertising for your site. If some of you have not seen how quickly Facebook will market their ads towards you likes, change or add an interest on your page and immediately you will start getting ads relating to that interest.

So we know this addition to electronic is not going to go away ever unless some new exciting thing comes out that will replace having electronics around all the time, so what do we do? We might as well roll with the flow and use it to our advantage. Learn how to get the most use out of them, social media can be a great way to keep up with companies you like, to do research, and keep up with old bosses who can give you a great reference. Here at The Mustard Seed, we are trying to gear more of our information towards our audience, if you would like to help us do this, please take our survey at http://ow.ly/5Jm3c . If you have a business, you can use social media like we do to get your message out to the public more, and now people we have never met can see our message. Being addicted to electronic devices may have so down falls, but it is like a magic carpet, we can now see and learn about things that before we would not have access to unless we were there. People can now see live streams of an event as it is happening, allowing us to feel like we are a part of that moment, great distances no longer stop people.

And for those of you whose friends and family refuse to accept this new additions, well just pretend that they will be able to not become one of those people who are not addicted. My dad says when he retires, he wants to spend a month without his cell phone, and well this freaked me out. I asked him what if I need to get a hold of him; his response was "well you can get a hold of someone else who will be able to get a hold of me". I giggled inside when he told me this because I knew it would probably only last a few days. It is a great idea and probably would make him less stressed but everyone else will probably be so annoyed because they cannot get a hold of him or that they have to constantly relay messages back to him, that it will not be possible to last a whole month.

So my closing thoughts on the subject, if something is there that will help you advance in a healthy legal way, use it but try to not become addicted because you usually waste a lot of time using electronics when you should be doing something else. I wish all of use luck when the new fad comes out, and hopefully we can adapt to it and not refuse to use the new innovation because we do not understand it or how it is helpful.

Harry Potter

Good morning to you and your families on this glorious Harry Potter Thursday! As I am an avid all-things-Harry-Potter fan, I hope you know that tonight is the midnight premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathy Hallows Part 2. Tonight wraps it all up. After a decade of books, theme parks, collectible items, and movies, tonight ends the saga of Harry Potter. AND I’M SO EXCITED! Maybe you can tell how much I enjoy Harry Potter, but words cannot capture my enthusiasm. Perhaps a brief anecdote to capture the words that elude me: Here at The Mustard Seed I often talk about Harry Potter during lunch, and volunteers and employees share stories about visiting Harry Potter World at Universal Studios, which I have yet to do (I have to save some Harry Potter magic for after the movies come out, and I’m in withdrawal!). But in all sincerity, I feel as though our generation grew up with Harry, Ron, and Hermione as they tackled the problems that faced Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. However, one reason I feel as though I grew up with them, is the sage Dumbledore and his wise sayings that always seem to wrap the story up perfectly and teach a lesson to the trio and the readers. My personal favorite is when he says, "It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." And after this lengthy introduction to my blog, I’d like to focus on choices today in this entry.

I think Dumbledore was trying to say that every choice determines who we are because of why we chose that option. Each choice reflects years of parental influences, influences of mentors like teachers, influences of any traditions or beliefs, influences of the media, and influences of Dumbledore. Each person’s choice is unique to him or her because that person is unique – that choice reflects their unique history and unique formation as a person.

What if you were deciding to donate to The Mustard Seed? Perhaps you would donate because you wanted to empty out that closet that you can’t seem to even step into anymore. Or perhaps you just got married and are upgrading mattresses to accommodate your new spouse. Or perhaps your child has outgrown the bed that he or she slept on. Or perhaps you have a personal connection to The Mustard Seed through volunteering or knowing someone who has been helped through our services. All of these situations result in you donating to The Mustard Seed, but why you donate – that’s your story which reflects your choices, influences, and ultimately who you “truly are,” according to Dumbledore. So in Christina’s Corner today, CHOOSE TO DONATE TODAY! (And choose to see Harry Potter J)

For your entertainment: The Harry Potter 7 Part 2 (HP7P2) trailer http://youtu.be/mObK5XD8udk

Courage

We never know how we would react in a frightening situation until we are actually put in that situation. We all hope we have the courage to act and not just sit and wait for someone to rescue us.


A person does not have to be a soldier to have courage. A child has courage when he stands up to a bully. A person has courage when they do not join a gang and instead study so they can have a better life later on. A newly divorced mother has courage when she goes back into the workforce to support her kids.


Sometimes we are too quick to judge people as weak and do not realize how hard they are struggling to stand strong. Nobody knows all the daily battles a person faces. If you continue to point fingers instead of taking that courage to change the situation then change will never happen.


I wish we all had the courage of dogs. We have seen many headlines of man's best friend saving his family from life threatening situations like fires or medical problems. The dog acts instead of running away or hoping someone else will handle the situation. Imagine how different the world would be if everyone had even the smallest amount of courage that a dog has. But we do not have the courage that dogs do because having courage is hard because the fear that arises when we try to step into the unknown.


Everyday we have people who come into The Mustard Seed because they conquered fear with courage, and people judge them instead of seeing their strength. The truth of the matter is, they are changing the world by changing themselves, and the people judging them are stagnant.


Lets all make a new goal for ourselves, lets face fear everyday and instead of taking the easy way out, stand up for what is right. This is going to be difficult because it is always easier to do wrong then to do right but when we die, we do not want to wish we had done things differently.


I want to leave all of you today with a quote by Mary Anne Radmacher "Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I'll try again tomorrow," take everday as an opportunity to help yourself and others.