Yesterday afternoon my husband dropped his phone and broke the screen, which left me thinking about how disruptive it feels to be temporarily deprived of our modern gadgets. Even the tiniest blips in our daily routine can leave us feeling a bit out of sorts; for example, my Keurig coffeemaker didn’t come on when I pressed the button this morning, and I had to unplug it for a moment so that it would reboot.

When modern devices are working properly, they are easier and more useful than their old-fashioned equivalents. The simpler things of the past weren’t as fragile and prone to glitches, though, so people didn’t feel that they were wasting time with unexpected problems. In fact, getting things done took more time back then, but it felt okay because our expectations weren’t being frustrated in so many small ways.

Sometimes we just need to step back, take a breath, put things in perspective, and start noticing those ordinary blessings that are right in front of us. Life really is easier than we often think it is, and we don’t need to get every little annoyance perfectly sorted before we can feel happy.

Nurturing Thursday was started by Becca Givens and seeks to encourage self-nurturing and to “give the planet a much needed shot of fun, support and positive energy.”