#AtoZchallenge (2018) P is for feeling Pensive

My theme for this challenge is “feelings” of a sexagenarian and the influence of social media.

My tema vir hierdie uitdaging is “gevoelens” van ‘n sestig-plusser en die invloed van sosiale media.

English (Afrikaans below):

Pensive: engaged in, involving, or reflecting deep or serious thought. Dear Santa, for this X-mas I want a Harry Potter Pensieve Memory Set, you know, the deluxe journal with the Pensieve bowl embedded on the cover, memory vials and the pen in the shape of the Elder Wand.

For those of you who don’t know what I’m talking about (are there really people out there who haven’t read the HP books or seen the movies?) – wizards and witches use their magic wands to extract their memories and safely store them in little glass bottles with glass stoppers (memory vials). Whenever they want to revisit a particular memory, they empty the vials into a bowl (the Pensieve) and dive headfirst into the bowl to watch the memory playing off like a television drama.

Now, why would I want or need something like that? For the simple reason that I need a safe store for my thoughts, which I do not seem to be able to keep together. I can’t hold onto one thought for more than a second or two, and yes, I know this is a common complaint among people of my age. I’m not talking about great truths and wisdom here, just my everyday list of things-to-do and spur of the moment decisions. I ascribe my absentmindedness to the fact that, at my age, my head is full of useless information and it is only natural for some items to drop off the radar. If only I could store my thoughts in those handy little vials, label them and place them in proper order until needed!

Picture this, as Sophia used to say in the long ago television series, Golden Girls: There I am in the kitchen, trying to decide what to have for lunch when I realise that there are no eggs in the fridge. Making a snap decision to drive to the store, I grab my purse and car keys from the top kitchen shelf. By the time I get to the garage (adjoining to the kitchen) and into my car, I have no idea where I am going and why.

I place the blame for this situation squarely on the shoulders of social media. Let me explain:  Starting out from the kitchen, purse and car keys in my hand, I hear that tell-tale sound announcing that a WhatsApp message is waiting to be read. So I start hunting for my mobile phone, which I eventually find in the bathroom, only to realise that I left my glasses, uhm, where? Oh yes, with my laptop on my desk in the office. I get my glasses and quickly glance at my laptop, just to see five new Facebook messages waiting. After catching up on all my messages and reading the news on Twitter, I notice the car keys still dangling from my little finger and I dash off to the garage. I unlock and start the car. And – then I sit there and wonder where I was supposed to go. I can ask my husband, Mister Know-It-All … yeah, over my dead body! I need that labeled vial to get me back on track.  Please Santa.

The role of social media: The above is pure fiction but not too far removed from reality. Social media can take up a lot of our time and energy which could/should be spent on more worthy causes. The trick is to use social media to our advantage without permitting it to rule our lifestyle. Keeping in touch with faraway family and friends and staying abreast with the latest news is of great benefit, but the moment that social media infringe upon our personal relationships and eat up all our time, we should rethink this strategy. Should we not do this, we may just lose the ability to think for ourselves. Today’s emoji: 🤔

Afrikaans:

Diepdenkend: besig met, betrokke by of weerspieël diep of ernstige denke. Geagte Santa, vir hierdie krismis wil ek ‘n Harry Potter Pensieve Memory Set hê, jy weet, die luukse joernaal met die versonke Pensieve bak op die voorblad, geheueflessies en die pen in die vorm van die Elder Wand.

Vir diegene van julle wat nie weet waarvan ek praat nie (is daar werklik mense daar buite wat nie die HP boeke gelees het of die flieks gesien het nie?) – towenaars en hekse gebruik ‘n towerstaf om uittreksels van hulle herinneringe te maak en dit veilig te stoor in klein glasbotteltjies met glasstoppers (geheue flessies). Wanneer hulle ‘n besondere herinnering weer wil beleef, gooi hulle die inhoud van die geheueflessie uit in ‘n bak (die Pensieve) en duik kop eerste in die bak om te kyk hoe die herinnering soos ‘n televisiedrama afspeel.

Nou, hoekom sou ek so iets wil hê of benodig? Om die eenvoudige rede dat ek ‘n veilige stoorplek nodig het vir my gedagtes wat ek nie blykbaar nie meer bymekaar kan hou nie. Ek kan niks onthou vir langer as ‘n sekonde of twee nie, en ja, ek weet dit is ‘n algemene klagte onder mense van my ouderdom. Ek praat nie van groot waarhede en wyshede hier nie, net van my alledaagse lys van dinge om te doen, en daardie besluite wat ek op die ingewing van die oomblik neem. Ek skryf my verstrooidheid toe aan die feit dat my kop op hierdie ouderdom vol nuttelose inligting is en dat te wagte is dat sekere items van die radar sal verdwyn. As ek tog net my gedagtes in daardie handige klein flessies kon berg, etikette op hulle plaas en hulle ordelik kan rangskik en stoor totdat ek dit weer benodig!

Picture this, soos Sophia vroeër in die TV-reeks, Golden Girls, altyd gesê het: Daar is ek in die kombuis besig om te probeer besluit wat om vir die middagmaal te eet, op welke stadium ek besef dat daar geen eiers in die yskas is nie. Ek besluit op die ingewing van die oomblik om winkel toe te ry en gryp my beursie en motorsleutels van die boonste kombuisrak af. Teen die tyd dat ek by die motorhuis kom (aangrensend aan die kombuis) en in my motor klim, het ek geen idee meer waarheen ek op pad is en hoekom nie.

Ek plaas die skuld vir hierdie situasie vierkantig op die skouers van sosiale media. Laat ek verduidelik: Op die oomblik dat ek die kombuis verlaat, beursie en motorsleutels in my hand, hoor ek die klank wat verklik dat ‘n WhatsApp-boodskap wag om gelees te word. Dus begin ek soek vir my selfoon, wat ek uiteindelik in die badkamer kry, net om te besef dat ek my bril iewers gelos het, uhm, waar nou weer? O ja, by my skootrekenaar op my lessenaar in die kantoor. Ek kry my bril en loer vinnig na my skootrekenaar, net om te sien dat daar vyf nuwe Facebook-boodskappe wag. Nadat ek al my boodskappe afgehandel en die nuus op Twitter gelees het, vang my oog die motorsleutels wat nog steeds aan my pinkie hang en ek loop flink na die motorhuis toe. Ek sluit die kar oop en skakel die enjin aan. En dan sit ek daar en wonder waar ek veronderstel was om heen te gaan. Ek kan natuurlik my man, Meneer-Alles-Weet, vra … ja, oor my dooie liggaam! Ek benodig die geheueflessie met die etiket daarop om my weer op die regte spoor te kry. Asseblief Santa.

Die rol van sosiale media: Voorafgaande is suiwer fiksie, maar nie te ver van die werklikheid af nie. Sosiale media kan baie van ons tyd en energie opneem wat aan sake van meer belang bestee kan/moet word. Die kuns lê daarin om sosiale media tot ons voordeel te gebruik sonder om dit toe te laat om ons lewenstyl te regeer. Om kontak te hou met familie en vriende wat ver weg woon en op die hoogte te bly van die nuus is van groot nut, maar die oomblik dat sosiale media inbreuk maak op ons persoonlike verhoudings en al ons tyd opvreet, moet ons hierdie strategie heroorweeg. Doen ons dit nie, mag ons dalk net die vermoë verloor om vir onsself te dink.

Die rol van sosiale media:  Emoji vir vandag: 🤔

Read all my entries for the #AtoZchallenge (April 2018) here.