Flipping Channels

Have you ever had so much going on in your head that you can't organize it enough to articulate what you are thinking? Like flipping channels so fast on the TV that you don't actually see anything but you take in a little of everything? That's the problem I'm having lately and why I didn't post the last three days. There's so much I'm thinking about that I couldn't find what I wanted to say. So, here's a bullet point list of what I'm thinking about and hopefully I'll be able to expand on the list later:

• Why is Fifty Shades of Grey such a worldwide phenomena when, first of all, it is terribly written and, secondly and more importantly, not romantic at all but a glorification of domestic violence? Why is Anastasia supposedly seen as an empowered woman when really she is a victim and a doormat?
• Why do we as consumers hold so little value for the people who create what we consume? I'm sure you've noticed that most people in retail and food service seem like they hate their lives. The reason for that is that they've totally lost faith in humanity.
• Why do so many people drive like they own the road and cause risk to my life and sanity?
• I honestly believe Batman could take Superman (and really any of the other heroes) in a fight and barely break a sweat.
• And why is it that, as a child, I fought bedtime so hard. What was my deal? Bedtime is the unsung hero of my life.

So, there are a few little snippets from my brain. I'll be back tomorrow with more cohesive thoughts. 

Slow Your Roll

Why does everything have to be so fast-paced? Working at Starbucks, everything is about speed. We try to keep our drive-thru window time below 45 seconds and the we want to get our customers through our line in 3 minutes or less. When you're on bar, you're always working on two drinks at a time and leveraging the time your espresso machine takes to do things so that there is never wait time, you're always working.
These are good things in this industry, and I'm not knocking it, but I've realized that it is starting to affect the rest of my life. It's become incredibly hard to slow down. If you could see my browser right now I have six tabs open and I've flipped through all of them at least 5 times. This post isn't the only project I'm working on at this moment. When I need a second to think about what I'm going to write here, I switch to another tab and work on something else. I almost always have music playing or a movie on when I'm at home. I'm usually not really watching the movie, but I like the background noise. I can't handle silence anymore. The store were I work gets so loud and I'm there in the noise for eight hours everyday, so when I leave my brain freaks out if it's quiet.
I know I'm not the only one who feels this way, if you glance around in any coffee shop, on the bus, or even on the street you'll see most people with their faces in their phones. We are a multitasking nation and no one has, or really wants, time to breath. Even in our down time we need something occupying our minds. And, honestly, I'm not sure how to fix this problem. Everyone is tied up in their calendar through their various commitments, requirements, and obligations. In this fast paced society, how do we carve out time to really live? I highly recommend taking some time to slow down. Turn off your phone, pick up a book, and fall off the grid. Give your mind space to settle in. Because, as I've said before, life is beautiful and we're missing it.