+++ title = “03” date = 2019 +++ One thing always leads to another. It’s what we teach children in 3rd grade with cause and effect. It’s what we teach adults through movies and TV. It’s a concept relevant to all industries. A doctor cares about one thing leading to another, and so does the economist. A parent cares about one thing leading to another and so does the bus driver.

Today’s my 34th birthday. I’ve discovered, especially in recent years, that my relationship with birthdays is complicated. On my birthday as a kid, sometimes it felt like time stopped. It was a normal day for everyone else, but for me, it was a revelation. I’d notice details that I didn’t see on other days, and words people said to me meant more. There are certain stories and situations that are fairly mundane that I remember from birthdays when I was a kid.

When I was growing up, my mom was obsessed with making my sister and I drink milk. In fact, we bookended our day with milk. A cup in the morning, a full glass in the evening. We were told dairy industry lies, somehow convincing ourselves that milk would “do our body good” and would make us grow bigger and stronger somehow. Another thing that was characteristic about my childhood was stomach aches.

The other day I was conducting a training on a topic I had spent a lot of time learning and understanding. This was a speech I could do with my eyes closed, in my sleep, etc. At one point one a trainee interrupted with: “Wow, you are so smart!” I took the compliment and chuckled, but my laughter came somewhat out of confusion. I had impressed this person with the knowledge I’d accumulated about a particular piece of software and she equated that to mean I’m “smart.

+++ title = “03” date = 2019 +++ After reading Cal Newport’s Digital Minimalism, I’ve decided to give a social media detox a try. So as of today for the rest of March, I’ll be off Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (other than my work accounts). I’m keeping Reddit, RSS, and YouTube because they don’t have that addictive quality for me. At least for now. YouTube is a major timesuck but I basically use it as my TV provider so I consider it necessary.