Gems and Acronyms

   I just found my mind wandering while trying to read through the 30 small lesson chapters that I have to complete weekly for my three online classes. It was talking about the different kinds of businesses and websites that are online. Terms and acronyms like B2C, C2C, & CRM are presented to help us to remember terms, but eventually just become like little fishes that swim around in my head.

    The six strings of the guitar are a sort of acronym : E A D G B E. That's been ingrained in my head for a lot of years. But my beginner guitar students need a tool to learn it. So we use one like "E-very A-ngry D-og G-rowls & B-arks @ E-veryone." It works!

    However, acronyms are also a symptom of our ever-growing attempts to use shortcuts to simplify our lives, which keep on getting more and more complicated every day.

    It started out with business, with companies using logos and acronyms to get name and brand recognition. "IBM" is a lot easier to say and remember than "International Business Machines." And then there's GMC, KFC, and AOL. Even our country is known as the USA. And sometimes acronyms change meaning. TM, once thought of as a symbol for Trademark, is now universally recognized as "Transcendental Meditation."

    With the Internet, it seems even personal communication has introduced shortcuts. "Have a good evening" or "Until we meet again" has been replaced with "Cya later." Online, it's "omg" and "BFF" and "lol."

    I think sometimes the longer path is the more scenic and enjoyable one. While shortcuts can have their place, I don't think we should live our lives constantly seeking a quicker fix to everything, or a faster way through our daily activity. By doing so, we may just miss out on some priceless gems along the way. 

    Take the time to smell the roses. Or, as someone might say, "TtTtStR"... lol.