A throw away comment I read in a magazine article the other week really struck a chord. It stated that in our society we all have a little knowledge on many subjects but are experts in nothing. On watching and loving programmes like Springwatch, I have joked that it would be great if the presenter's brains were available for download! Watching Kate, Chris and Simon it is amazing that between them they can answer pretty much any question about the natural world that is thrown at them. Of course they have been studying and working in this area since they were children because it's their passion and comparably I just like being in the countryside and am constantly delighted by nature but don't have the breadth of knowledge to go with it. This led me to wonder if I should invest more time in my passions and loves and not spread myself so thin? After all I profess to love poetry and words but couldn't quote much of it, if any at all.
When I returned from holiday in Florida earlier in the year, lovely as it was I suffered a real sensory overload, so much so that I didn't really want the radio on in the morning and stopped listening to music in the car. This has led me to live a much quieter life, I do love music but also like to make the most of living in a rural location and just spend time listening to the birds singing.
There is a temptation in the modern technological age to feel unconnected if we are not constantly plugged in to information and that we are somehow missing out. But we are not computers and there is a limit to how much information we can process. I've not been on Facebook for sometime now and haven't read a newspaper for over a decade but I don't feel disconnected at all. There are only so many hours in the day and so many thoughts I can have, so would rather they relate to the things and the people I love.
So, I resolve to become an expert in something, if it is only how to cherish free time!
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