'Twitter Is The Hershey Kiss Of News'

“Be patient.”

“Be prepared.”

“Don’t wait until the last minute.”

My mother spent two decades trying to teach me those albeit seemingly worthy values. 

As far as I can recall, my response was always, “Why?”

Even now when I reflect on my life and Mom’s, those three commands were only useful for baking bread.

I’m glad I followed my gut instinct, learned to bulldoze problems and welcome seconds under the wire. 

Those skills would come in handy, but not without guilt. To this day, I hear Mom’s voice of disapproval when I rush to meet a deadline and curse technological speed bumps.

I rationalize my behavior -- while checking e-mail, text messages and grocery list via  -- as evolution. 

Today, most folks, many you’d least expect, hunger for fast and now. Even those who preach Mom’s message.

“In situations that are difficult and challenging, patience helps maintain your (willpower) and can sustain you.” Know who said that? The Dalai Lama, ON TWITTER!

I'm grateful for Twitter, follow it several times an hour on my phone and laptop. It’s concise, selective and personalized information in just the right delicious dose. Twitter is the Hershey Kiss of news. 

It leads me to the same question I’ve asked most of my life: “Why wouldn’t fast, now, last minute, convenient, easy, efficient, clean and in the palm of my hand be the smartest, best way to live life?” (Not to brag, but notice that’s 140 characters on the nose :) 

As much as she’d stick to her guns on the patience thing, deep down, Mom would love Twitter. As a U.S. Army veteran, she’d be impressed with today's technology as an effective, fast communication tool. 

She’d be astounded by the growth of information in fields such as research, science and medicine.

Sadly, such technology wasn’t around to help Mom, in her mid-50’s, with a new, mysterious diagnosis, “colon cancer.” 

Hard for me to believe but that was 20 years ago. After her lifetime of patience and planning for the future, the disease rapidly overtook and killed her.

No amount of planning would have prepared me for that. 

I miss her -- especially today. 

Some folks say we have too much information at our fingertips and warn us to slow down, wait for life to play out.

I ask, “Why? If you don’t live in the moment, what are you waiting for?" 

Although my son Sam is far away, serving in the U.S. Navy, technology connects us instantly. I got the following text message from him at 12:03 a.m. today: 

“HAPPY BIRTHDAAAAAY!!!” 

And that’s a gift I embrace.