![\"target-self-checkout-screen-scanner-506x675\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.peanutmark.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/target-self-checkout-screen-scanner-506x675.jpg?ssl=1\")
<\/a><\/p>\nMy local Target store has self-service kiosks. They look helpful, but if you have used one you already know that they don\u2019t work at least 50% of the time. You inevitably end up standing at a lane with a blinking \u201chelp me\u201d light, and it takes FOR-EV-ER for someone to come and help you (sure, the lines at Target can sometimes be long, but the wait at a malfunctioning kiosk is usually longer). Eventually a cashier comes to the rescue. I like making small talk as they fix the kiosk. We complain together over how annoying the machine is. It\u2019s a bonding moment\u2026 and likely the real reason why I keep trying to use the stupid things.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve been thinking a lot about the number of self-serve\/automated services I try to use every day in the elusive pursuit of efficient errand-running. They are neat and sometimes convenient, but I\u2019ve become increasingly aware that every time I use one, I\u2019m missing out on something intangible and important.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
It\u2019s easy to think of other examples where we are lured to trade human interaction for \u201cease and efficiency\u201d: instant cash machines, automatic postal carrier machines, on-line grocery shopping, anything from amazon.com. But each time I choose not to talk to a person IN person, I\u2019m left feeling a little empty. I bet if I really wanted to, I could complete a long list of errands without ever saying hello to a single person, and that\u2019s not a good thing. At the end of a full day, I wouldn\u2019t have any people stories from my travels, and I definitely wouldn\u2019t feel happy or light. I\u2019m already feeling more lonely, just imagining it.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
And what about simple communication? That\u2019s all technology-ized, too. It used to be in person or by phone, and now it\u2019s primarily via a screen. We type. We text. We communicate in CAPS for volume. We have emojis that convey emotion. We\u2019ve taken the satisfying connection<\/strong> part out of our interactions with each other. It\u2019s crazy. We think that emailing and texting and typing on our ever present keyboards makes us more connected than ever. It doesn\u2019t. Nope. All that this \u201cconnectivity\u201d really does is drop us further down the rabbit hole of isolation; your computer or phone can\u2019t hug you or provide comfort. Sure, the person on the distant keyboard may type perfect, soothing words of beauty, but that person isn\u2019t really with you. Heck, they may not even be the person you think they are!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Why do we do this? Why do we choose<\/strong> to not<\/strong>\u00a0talk to each other?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Forgive me. I don\u2019t mean to sound so bleak. I\u2019m simply frustrated by watching all of us looking at our screens instead of each other.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Here\u2019s my suggestion\u2026 It\u2019s time to look up<\/strong>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Put down your phone. Step away from whatever social media site you can\u2019t quit. Take the conversation outside of your head and talk to someone. A real someone. Even better \u2013 talk to someone you don\u2019t know! Strike up a completely small-talky conversation. See what you get. Start with something simple.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Exercise #1:<\/strong><\/p>\n You: Hi.<\/p>\n Them: Hello.<\/p>\n You: Ready for snow?<\/p>\n Them: Nope.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n After trying a couple of short conversations, mix it up a little; throw a compliment out into the air just for the heck of it. Positivity begets positivity, and spontaneous compliments give a positive spin that makes both the converser and conversee feel good. I do this a lot \u2013 especially to children. Why? Toddlers don\u2019t generally travel alone, and complimenting a little person usually makes their grownup companion part of the conversation, too. It\u2019s a two-fer.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Exercise #2:<\/strong><\/p>\n You: Hi!<\/p>\n Little person: Hello.<\/p>\n You: I like your shoes.<\/p>\n Little person: [looks down at shoes and smiles. Big person smiles at little person\u2026 and then they both look up at you with a smile<\/em>] My shoes are\u00a0pink!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ok! You\u2019re on a roll! Now, go bigger; try putting a conversation into the errand-running part of your day. It\u2019s actually harder than you might think because it takes time, and time is precious. It\u2019s worth it, though. Trust me. Go to the grocery store for something you need, leave your phone in your pocket\/purse (unless you have apple pay or something), and converse with the cashier as you check out.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Exercise #3<\/strong><\/p>\n Cashier: Hi.<\/p>\n You: Hello.<\/p>\n Cashier: Did you find everything you were looking for today?<\/p>\n You: Yes, I did. I really like this granola. Do lots of people buy it?<\/p>\n Cashier: [after looking at you, temporarily stunned by the realization that you were actually listening to the question, starts to smile<\/em>]\u00a0<\/em>Yes! We can\u2019t keep it in stock. Have you tried putting some\u00a0in chocolate chip cookies?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Baby steps. Baby steps, dear ones. Baby steps.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The\u00a0Takeaway:<\/strong><\/p>\n Choose not to isolate yourself, starting right now. Close the computer and start a real conversation with someone. Maybe even talk about this posting?<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" My local Target store has self-service kiosks. They look helpful, but if you have used one you already know that they don\u2019t work at least 50% of the time. You inevitably end up standing at a lane with a blinking \u201chelp me\u201d light, and it takes FOR-EV-ER for someone to come and help you […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":261,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-262","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-random-subjects"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6ZedX-4e","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":408,"url":"https:\/\/www.peanutmark.com\/?p=408","url_meta":{"origin":262,"position":0},"title":"Stella The Pumpkin","author":"Melissa","date":"October 31, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 I belong to Twin Cities Writing Studio (TCWS), and have been a member since its inception. The women who I see weekly at class are smart, clever, creative, brilliant, and always present. I love my ThursdayGirls. As part of our weekly time, we do a 10-20 minute free write\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Random Subjects"","block_context":{"text":"Random Subjects","link":"https:\/\/www.peanutmark.com\/?cat=1"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.peanutmark.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/IMG_4794-e1509484559205.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.peanutmark.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/IMG_4794-e1509484559205.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.peanutmark.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/IMG_4794-e1509484559205.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.peanutmark.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/IMG_4794-e1509484559205.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":237,"url":"https:\/\/www.peanutmark.com\/?p=237","url_meta":{"origin":262,"position":1},"title":"Look Up","author":"Melissa","date":"September 6, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"One of the perks of living where I do is that I\u2019m within a 15 minute drive from almost everything: parents, the Girlie\u2019s school, groceries, Target, malls, restaurants, parks, ski trails, rivers, and even lakes. I love water, and luckily for me, there are many lakes in the city. Minnesota\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Random Subjects"","block_context":{"text":"Random Subjects","link":"https:\/\/www.peanutmark.com\/?cat=1"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.peanutmark.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/IMG_0326.jpg?fit=1047%2C930&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.peanutmark.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/IMG_0326.jpg?fit=1047%2C930&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.peanutmark.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/IMG_0326.jpg?fit=1047%2C930&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.peanutmark.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/IMG_0326.jpg?fit=1047%2C930&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":632,"url":"https:\/\/www.peanutmark.com\/?p=632","url_meta":{"origin":262,"position":2},"title":"Thank You from The Land of Misfit Toys","author":"Melissa","date":"December 14, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"I belong to the Twin Cities Writing Studio, a weekly writing group of brilliant, funny, creative, magical, and fiercely supportive women. This post comes from a prompt we were given way back in March. I\u2019ve been sitting on it for a while, but since it feels appropriate for this time\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Random Subjects"","block_context":{"text":"Random Subjects","link":"https:\/\/www.peanutmark.com\/?cat=1"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.peanutmark.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/6EC1AC6D-31B3-4852-A8D8-AAE61F41BDD1.jpg?fit=750%2C542&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.peanutmark.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/6EC1AC6D-31B3-4852-A8D8-AAE61F41BDD1.jpg?fit=750%2C542&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.peanutmark.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/6EC1AC6D-31B3-4852-A8D8-AAE61F41BDD1.jpg?fit=750%2C542&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.peanutmark.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/6EC1AC6D-31B3-4852-A8D8-AAE61F41BDD1.jpg?fit=750%2C542&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":538,"url":"https:\/\/www.peanutmark.com\/?p=538","url_meta":{"origin":262,"position":3},"title":"I’m Fifty Years Old!","author":"Melissa","date":"May 24, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Well, I\u2019m about to turn 50 this weekend. 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It\u2019s a half-point, if you\u2019re lucky; a place to stop, look back over where you\u2019ve been and then turn around\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Random Subjects"","block_context":{"text":"Random Subjects","link":"https:\/\/www.peanutmark.com\/?cat=1"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.peanutmark.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_156.jpg?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.peanutmark.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_156.jpg?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.peanutmark.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_156.jpg?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.peanutmark.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_156.jpg?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.peanutmark.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Guelph-Target-Self-Check-Out.jpg?fit=275%2C342&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.peanutmark.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/262","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.peanutmark.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.peanutmark.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.peanutmark.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.peanutmark.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=262"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.peanutmark.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/262\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":267,"href":"https:\/\/www.peanutmark.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/262\/revisions\/267"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.peanutmark.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/261"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.peanutmark.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=262"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.peanutmark.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=262"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.peanutmark.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=262"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}