Be NOT Afraid
The antidote for technostress is human connection. I’ve been reminded of this truth time and time again over the past few days as we searched for our missing tuxedo cat, Charlie.
Spoiler alert: He’s home now. He was always going to come back in a few days. Cats usually do, but the imagination can be cruel and it’s hard to be patient when your monkey mind spins relentlessly through worse-case scenarios while your 13 year-old daughter regularly bursts into hopeless tears.
So I did what any mama bear would do and I took to the Internet to crowdsource possible solutions to a freshly missing indoor cat. And oh, did the Internet deliver…
THE BAD NEWS
If you allow yourself to go down the rabbit holes of missing pet posts and services, you can quickly spend a lot of money and time that you could be spending elsewhere. That’s the simple math of attention allocation. And don’t get me started about the scammers who will try to exploit your worst fears.
For me, opting-in to new apps, online services and communities meant that my attention was divided in new ways. But reaching out in new ways also led to new and renewed connections with real people. I decided to focus on a few of those and will share what that looked like below.
THE REALLY GOOD NEWS
Posting on Facebook, Pawboost and Nextdoor resulted in a slew of ideas from friendly strangers who shared my zipcode and my love for domestic animals. Their encouragement was wonderful and helped me to focus on specific actions that ultimately helped bring Charlie home.
Even this morning, I received a text message from a friendly neighbor several miles away that included a photo and video of a cat that looked a lot like Charlie in her backyard. I let her know he had been found and she anonymously shared in our joy via return text message. Just one human connecting with another human and celebrating a small win.
Texting the Mom Group in my neighborhood was another source of encouragement and support. Within minutes of texting them, I knew I had an army of other mama bears on the lookout for Charlie. It was a reminder that my village is awesome, cares deeply and will spring into action when called upon to support lemonade stands, milestones, missing pets and a whole range of community concerns and celebrations.
Making flyers on Canva and printing them for same-day in-store pick up at FedEx was awesome. Even the people who worked at FedEx offered words of encouragement and tips to bring Charlie home. People are good, y’all.
But then came the work.
THE WORK + THE REWARD
I’m (re)listening to Atomic Habits by James Clear on the Audible app this week and it has reminded me that you have to have the right mindset and systems, but you also have to be consistently willing to do the work.
But you don’t have to do the work alone.
In our case, my daughter and I are ridiculously blessed to have mildly unhinged, cat-loving best friends who were willing to pound searing pavement while engaging with mail carriers, neighbors and local business owners on one of the hottest days of summer.
The reward? Each small spark of human connection fanned our hope which reinforced our desire to keep going and keep taking the microactions that led to Charlie’s return.
FOLLOW THE GRATITUDE, NOT THE FEAR
When scouring the Internet less than 14 hours into my “Bring Charlie Home” journey, I stumbled across a gratitude post for a local business that uses thermal drone technology to locate lost pets. I reached out to this business via Facebook Messenger at 10:22pm and the owner was set up in my driveway by 11:04pm. And I assure you, he wasn’t there for the money. I strongly suspect that he would have come whether I could pay for his services or not.
James, the owner of Spearhead Drone Services, works as a Law Enforcement Officer by day and searches for pets during his off hours. He is also married to a nurse and has an incredible son who has autism. We bonded over our love of the special needs community and swapped contacts that we trusted to help us in our respective lives. He shared information for Trap ‘Em RVA in case I needed them and I shared info on Special Olympics Virginia and Northstar Academy in case he needed them down the road.
We’ve promised to keep in touch. We’re both small business owners trying to make the world a little better and brighter. And his willingness to share his knowledge, expertise and priceless equipment helped me reframe my feelings about drone technology.
TACKLING TECHNOSTRESS
It’s so easy to let technostress enter the chat. I am well aware that as humans we have agency over our tech habits, but it’s easy to forget to be curious in moments of stress.
Prior to this week, I’ll admit I have had less than stellar thoughts about drones probably because of the role they play in modern warfare and the idea that they can just appear floating above your head without any indication of who is operating them and what they are doing. Spying? Collecting data for Google Maps or Zillow or an Amazon delivery pilot program? It’s nearly impossible to know.
But there are also good uses for drone technology that we don’t hear about. Some law enforcement agencies opt for drone technology because they don’t have the budget for a helicopter or a search plane. Leveraged in the right manner, drones can compliment first responder’s heroic efforts in ways that neither humans or technology could accomplish alone.
CONCLUSION
When I reflect on the past 48 hours, it occurs to me that my approach to solving the Charlie is missing problem was much like using a drone.
I first zoomed out and cast my net wide virtually to see what networks and systems were at my disposal. This step was very reliant on technology and took some human effort and common sense to stay within certain guardrails.
I then zoomed in on some specific relationships and subject matter experts. I made use of my analytical skills but also employed a certain measure of gut feel and heart-directed decisions. I’m looking at you, Richardson’s Rescue and Spearhead Drone Services. Your systems reinforced my confidence and belief that Charlie would make it home safely.
I then zoomed in yet again, established a laser focus and got to work. Technology made this easier in the form of online design and print on demand solutions, but ultimately, it took time, patience, sweat equity and staying up late with the undying belief that Charlie would hear our call and respond when we tearfully called out into the night at 2am.
HOW TO OPERATE LIKE A DRONE PILOT
In my opinion, James and his drones exemplify the kind of human/technology multiplier effect that we should all aim for in our personal and professional lives.
We have the choice to develop and maintain our human agency while keeping a steady hand on the remote control of whatever smart technology comes our way. James has deep technical knowledge that he continues to hone and grow with the support of his workplace, clients and private benefactors.
But James is first and foremost a generous, kind and good person. When he puts down his drone and folds away his monitors, he remains what Mr. Rogers would call a helper.
I’m so grateful that the Internet (and perhaps a divine power higher than the algorithm) put me on a personal collision course with drone technology. I hope that I’ve used this new blog in a helpful way to impart a little more tech knowledge, optimism and the potential for future honest human connections if you ever experience a lost pet.
Finally, BIG THANKS to everyone who helped bring Charlie home this week. Our hearts are extremely full.
NEXT UP: Going Light
I’ll be participating in Techno Sapiens’ L3 Coffee Chat on Tuesday, June 30 at 1pm ET! This chat is available to Techno Sapiens subscribers, so consider subscribing in the next few days. More details can be found in the Substack subscriber email excerpt below:
Happy summer, sapiens! I don’t know about you, but this time of year always prompts me to re-evaluate my relationship with my phone and try to, as the kids say, touch grass. In that spirit, we’re partnering this month with Light! Light Phones are intentionally minimal phones designed to help you be more present, without the apps that keep you hooked.
Thanks to Light, I’m hosting a virtual Town Hall on Tuesday, June 30 at 1pm ET, and you’re invited! We’re going to chat about the latest research on “minimalist” phones, and a few fellow sapiens and I will share our experiences “going light.” If you’ve ever been curious about making the switch, or just want to hear about the research, this is for you!
And a bonus: all Techno Sapiens subscribers who join the Town Hall will get a code for $100 off a new Light Phone III.
