There’s not an app for that

To this day I feel a twinge of regret when I toss away the carboard core of a used up roll of toilet tissue. It seems such a waste. I know from personal experience that there is so much a boy and his imagination can do with that small tube of cardboard. For example…

• Collect twenty and you can build a small fort.
• It takes just one to have a tunnel, cannon or space ship.
• They can also serve as a telescope, binoculars, or a megaphone.

When I was a boy “light sabres” did not officially exist. But when Luke Skywalker of Star Wars fame stepped on the scene with one, I recognized it immediately – I had been playing with one for years – the three-foot cardboard core of Christmas wrapping paper!

A while back I was in the wood shop of a friend and I noticed an old hammer and a saw on the work bench while state of the art power tools remained stored on the tool rack. I asked him, “What gives?” He said, sometimes I just enjoy the feel of actually hammering a nail with my old trusty hammer and the exertion of actually sawing a board with a handsaw.

What got me thinking about all this was the recommendation of a trusted blogger that I read who informed me of a brand new app that would revolutionize the way I listen to my music. I was intrigued and immediately looked it up on Google and watched the promo video explain to me all the ways this new app would change my life.

But then it occurred to me that I like the way I organize and listen to my music. I don’t want to be more efficient. I like the quality of my music just fine.

Bottom line, there’s not an app for everything.

There’s no app in all the world that can replace puttering around in your workshop or garden doing something with your own hands. Other people’s creativity is a wonderful thing and has made the world a better place, but there’s no app that can replace a child using their own imagination.

I have an app that tells me about local trails near me. It is very helpful–especially when traveling. But it is no substitute for actually setting out on foot on one of those trails and feeling the crunch of gravel or snow under your feet, the sun on your face, and hearing the wind blow through the pines.

Honestly, some days I don’t want to hear about the new and better. Enough already!

The ONE THING for today: There are certain areas of life that we must stay cutting edge and current (there’s apps to help us). But there’s somethings that no new technology can replace. Understanding the difference is one of the important skills required to live a wholesome and fulfilling life.