Check out The Color of Comfort, which also mentions fantastic playwright, John Patrick Shanley. And satisfy our curiosity – what color are your walls?

Check out the entire article, “Operator? Can You Put Me Through to Ant Nest 251?”

I love this lesson from the animal kingdom! After all, while my concern for how one nest of ants talks to another may be at an all time low, I am continually striving to identify the most effective way we humans can communicate. 

So, on this 4th of July weekend, I will honor the ants. How? Well, I’ll try not to kill any. And I’ll remember that big explosions and flashy spectacles, while fun, are not nearly as meaningful as those unexpected conversations struck up with new friends by the fire pit.

Happy Independence Day!

We, as a culture, addressed a similar dilemma as cell phones became ubiquitous a few years back. Companies issued policies regarding cell phone usage. Restaurants resorted to putting up “no cell phones” signs at their entrances. Meetings, meals and movies all began with a reminder to “turn off your cell phone.”

But BlackBerries, and their ilk, are a different beast. They live on even after the phone ringer has been turned off. They bring the world to our fingertips, and we have now become used to having the world there. As have our clients.

We, as a culture, have grown accustomed to having access to anything, anywhere, at any time. We like it that way.

Multi-tasking is no longer considered a special skill, but rather a requirement for navigating our 3.0 world. Who, while in a meeting, hasn’t felt the lure of accessing instant brainstorming aids with the help of Google, ordering lunch without breaking the flow of conversation, approving that important document so it can be sent out as soon as it is ready?

Is this efficiency or rudeness?

What happens if we miss hearing that point our colleague is making because our fingers are clacking away on QWERTY, or fail to see the excitement on our customer’s face because our heads are turned to our glowing mini-screens? No one wants that.

So where, exactly, is that line between sane, productive usage and the disruptive behavior of BlackBerry addiction?

This week, I went in search of an answer to that question. I decided to put my BlackBerry away during all meetings and all lunches, business and otherwise. It was a little terrifying at first, to be perfectly honest. No internet, no email, no texting, no Twitter, for hours on end sometimes.

What I discovered surprised me… Conversations went into unexpected directions. Challenges were given room to breathe. And I found myself IN THE MOMENT. All while the BlackBerry remained in its little pocket, left out of the mix.

Does this mean I am abandoning my BlackBerry? Absolutely not. I’m simply embracing BALANCE. It’s a solution that works for me.

Tell me, what works for you?

For months friends and family were encouraging me to check out the Kindle, Amazon’s wireless reading device.  As one friend put it, “It’s the only way to read the newspaper!”   Ironically, while not a daily reader, there is one ritual that I look forward to every weekend: vegging on the couch with a cup of tea and The NY Times.  Something about a fresh paper and all that information packed into those pages makes me almost giddy at times…and certainly makes me feel like I’ve accomplished something when I’m done.  

I didn’t care how easy, efficient, consuming, small or miraculous this product might be. I wasn’t willing to give up my Sunday morning R&R.  And then my neighbor (you know who you are) stole my Sunday paper.  As fate would have it, as I complained over brunch, a friend leaned over and gave me his Kindle with some gentle encouragement, “Go on.  Try it for the day.  It’s going to change your life.”  Yeah, right.

That was three months ago and I haven’t looked back.  No longer is there the mad dash to get the newspaper.  Nor is there the frustration that someone has already read the paper, leaving me with a crumpled pile of sections.  My newspaper reading has gone to a whole new level of relaxation.  

I even find that I’m reading and enjoying sections that I’d never found interesting.  Sports. (McNabb is on fire!)  Op-Ed. (I’ve certainly had a few drunkenfreude moments.)  Science.  (It’s true.  Diesel fuel can be made from coffee grounds.)  I read everything!

My favorite feature?  Hands down, it’s the dictionary.  Before I had to get off the couch, get the dictionary and look up the word.  Now it’s literally at-my-fingertips.  

This amazing device that has made newspaper reading easy and enjoyable isn’t perfect.  Nor do I think I’ll ever have the heart to part with reading an actual book.  But for now, this little piece of technology has simplified and made pleasurable a task that I’d always found daunting.

And, thanks to my Kindle, I’ve accomplished one of my New Year’s resolutions – EARLY!