When I was growing, up, we were lucky enough to have a Macintosh SE. What was even cooler is that we also had AOL. With a few beeps, bongs, and some static, we could dial up to this new fangled thing called the internet, and we could communicate with people in other places. It was mind-blowing.

On that same Mac, Mavis Beacon taught me to type. Actually, as I was pondering this post, I learned from Wikipedia that Mavis Beacon isn’t a real person. That typing program was written by a male programmer (likely White) but used a Black woman as the teacher image. My mind is still processing that, which will have to be another post.

At any rate, I thought the technology we had then was awesome! And now, we get to pick from a variety of supercomputers in our phones, tablets and laptops that can do a TON for us.

It’s cold outside, so my morning is starting with some creative energy, a cup of strong coffee, a cozy dog, and some tools that I will use for good.

I’ve read a few things lately about mindfulness, gratitude, focus, goals, and well-being. Many of them have common threads of intentionality in how we start our days. So today I was thinking about what would happen if each day, I decided I really would learn something new, make something, and connect with others intentionally? This is different than happening upon information, scrolling through news and social feeds, and occasionally commenting or posting.

How cool is it that we have gadgets that essentially have superpowers that give all of us the ability to learn (read, take a class, access videos, try out a new app), create (graphics, writing, videos, memes, inspiring media), and connect (video chats with loved ones, messages, photos, videos)! These are tools for personal growth and relationship building…and some fun as well. I hope you have joy in your day and that the tech in your pocket serves you well!