I Am Not a Brand

I do not have to be New! and Improved!!!
I do not have to have new and improved.
I do not have to be in style.
I do not have to display, preach, or defend my religion.
(And I can hide Facebook posts from people who do.)
I do not have to be important.
I do not have to accomplish anything and, actually, I cannot change the world.
I've been eating this way all my life, and I'm still here.
There is no bonus for doing things the hard way.
There is no penalty for having fun.
Nothing is gained by impressing people.
Life is not that much better if you hang up your clothes.
Work may be a necessity, but it is not a virtue.

Well, you can see I'm in withdrawal.  Yesterday I got in my head to go without the internet until noon.  This wasn't so bad until I found myself in the car waiting while Tom had a brief doctor's appointment.  Phone at hand.  Could have taken photos, as long as I didn't send them, using the internet, but it was cold outside.  Found myself editing my contact list.  If you think about it, that's pathetic.  That's like only eating 13 potato chips and enjoying every one.  And then bragging about it on Facebook (I mean, if you were online).

Anyway, everyone's doing the same resolution this year - not to enjoy our devices so much.  To cut ourselves off from the internet and accomplish something.  To perfect ourselves.  Ah, much better to incline yourself to the deep spiritual understanding that we all are what we are, a whole bunch of pixels made by our genetics and the past and advertising, and folks, we are all right.  Alright. Either way you spell it.

[And I decided I liked this picture best without photo-shopping.  Look at the car windows.  Thus all our dreams and ambitions goes passing by.]