Tangible

by Michelle Lasley

Michelle Lasley is a mother, wife in Pacific Northwest learning to balance green dreams with budget realities.

July 8, 2010

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Categories: The Balancing Act

It begins with a random thought.

Me: I enjoy tangible things.

Then a reply.

Jas: Yes, if someone starts talking about the “intangible benefits”, you can be sure there’s really nothing there after all.

And, it comes full circle with an explanation of that random thought. Granted, I love playing with computers. I always have, but compare keyboards, as a start. Softer keyboards sometimes feel less real than keyboards with noise and a feel. Even new touch screen phones make sure their “keys” have a sound and feel to it so people know they are touching something.

When I walk, I touch trees, shrubs, tall grasses, terraced walls – anything in the path. When we can touch it, we know it’s there. If you can’t feel the touch pad touching or see a button being pressed, we don’t have our other senses to verify we’ve done something. So much in our digital world is illusory that we’ve invented other ways to trick our senses into thinking they still have a job to do.

Touch. Feel. Taste. Hear. See. I like tangible things.

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