7:50 a.m. Sunday, March 12
I woke up, literally, in a whirlwind. I looked outside my third floor window to limbs and branches flying through the air. The sky looked like an orange and red, tie-dyed t-shirt I might have made at Girl Scout camp as a little girl. Nonetheless, it was a sight unlike any other Sunday I had seen before. My nine roommates and I, plus a few additional weekend houseguests, looked outside in complete amazement; amazement that the forceful act of nature had virtually not even touched our house or our cars parked outside. A tornado had hit little, old Lawrence hard.
Photo by Kylie Battaglia
Our neighbors' house as shown above, as well as the rest of Lawrence for that matter, was another story. Everything around me was a true disaster. Later in the day, I drove around with my friends surveying the damage and the frightening state Lawrence had found itself in. I thought to myself how lucky I had been and how grateful I was that everyone had survived the catastrophe. I now think back upon my initial thoughts at the wee hour of 8 a.m. What did I do????
First thing I did before running downstairs in complete fear, but of course, was grab my cell phone and phone charger. I think back now, and would have grabbed much more, but instantly I grabbed by phone and proceeded to dial my mom. I had to talk to her. If something really bad had happened, what would I have done without my phone to keep me in contact? If I couldn't have contacted her and the other people I called and text messaged there after, I don't know what I would have done. Needless to say, I rely for dear life on my phone; secondarily on my computer. They are part of me. Each connects me to what's most important to me: my family and friends.
When something goes wrong, as nature will vouch for on Sunday, I need the ability to connect. Whether it is huge, life or death situations, or small, everyday details and occasions, my cell phone and computer make it happen. They are immediate, convenient and readily available. They get me through life's everyday catastrophes, both big and little.
What connects you? What can do you rely on when it really matters?
I have been doing University "assessment of general education" interviews during the evenings this week. We ask graduating seniors questions about the world in order to see how their KU education has affected them and how they think.
One of the questions I asked was: "What do you think the most important technological innovation of the last century has been?" I had expected "the computer," or maybe "TV." I got "the telephone." I was surprised. But, as I can see, I should not have been.