The "Joy Of Missing Out" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Our waitress just came back to the table with the answer to our question we had posed to her a few minutes ago.  Our friends from State College, PA, Jerry and Just Sue, traveled to Havre de Grace, MD with us for lunch and a day of exploring along the Susquehanna River.  As we arrived at the Conowingo Dam in northern Maryland, someone in the car asked if anyone remembered what the names of the other two dams that are near our house along the river might be.  After a quiet spell and the sound and smell of brains at work, Carol said, "If we had a smart phone we would know the answer by now." Well, none of us have a smart phone.  It's not that we are technological challenged, since Carol and I have a 21" Mac desktop, a MacBook Air laptop and an iPad and Jerry and Just Sue have a desktop computer.  We each have a cell phone and can text, but don't feel the need to be totally connected as the "younger generation" feels.  By younger generation I mean those not on Social Security.  I realize that many who are my age do have a smart phone, and at some time I may get one also, but as of now I am part of the JOMO crowd.  In case you don't know what JOMO means, it is the "joy of missing out."  I don't feel that I have to be connected 24/7 to social media technology as many feel they have to be.  So much is missed by having a piece of plastic attached to your ear all day and night.  When my children and grandchildren arrive at my place for a visit, much of that time is spent with their faces looking at a small lighted screen while Carol and I talk to each other.  They are part of the FOMO crowd or "fear of missing out" on something that is minutely important to maybe just a few people in the world.  I recently read that more and more are leaving the FOMO crowd and joining the JOMO crowd and beginning to interact physically with those who are with them at the moment.  The society of immediate gratification may slowly be moving back to the less intensive society of meaningful conversation which I enjoy much more.  Oh, the answer to the question we posed to our waitress were the Safe Harbor Dam and the Holtwood Dam.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.