Even before we see spring in full bloom, the pace of activities is beginning to pick up. The e-mail box and mailbox are loaded with opportunities for classes, events and programs. Some even suggest a bit of fun as well.

With so many opportunities, it is hard to know just what to do with your time.  Balancing the calendar has to be one of the hardest things to do regardless of your job, age and stage of life.

It is a marvel to watch families balance the many strings that pull on them.  Certainly if the family is involved in church, school, work and civic organizations it takes a time management pro to make sure everyone is where they are suppose to be.

Before the days of the BlackBerry and IPhone, one of my friends who managed a busy household with five children used colored markers for the importance of any event. The debate between the electronic calendar and the paper calendar still rages with loyalists to both equally stubborn.

Whatever type of calendar you use and regardless of how many balls you need to juggle, isn’t it important that you have a mix of items represented?

All work and no play really isn’t a good idea.

If the numbers can be believed, our youth are spending over seven hours a day with electronic devices. Wonder what the number would be for our adults?   Speaking as a person that could be easily addicted to Mahjong (a simple computer game) I can only imagine how addictive those fast moving dynamic games might become. From the beginning of Nintendo, I’ve been behind. Our son thought it was pretty boring to play with me because I could never last very long!

If we wanted to read all of the electronic newsletters that come our way, we’d never leave our computer screens. Just to keep up with the e-mails and texts seems to be an impossible chore. Add to that the Web sites, Facebooks and Twitters that we all want to read and to write, communications in business and personal life has become an almost impossible chore.

The books, newspapers, magazines and good old fashioned letters are fighting for their position. Even music has become complicated – or some might say easier.   Now we don’t share music, we simply put some earbuds in and tune out the rest of the planet. It seems that everyone person we pass walking down the street (or sidewalk) is either “Bluetoothed “or plugged in to some device.

Those of us that live in small communities might still have more person-to-person conversations than those in the cities, but have you tried to talk to a young person lately?

Census counters

Thanks to those that have already signed up to be a part of our community’s Complete Count Committee for the Census. If you haven’t signed up as a volunteer, please stop by the chamber and we will help you pick an area of the city to canvas.

We’d like to help make sure that everyone is counted for the 2010 Census – every person counts – every person makes a difference. Our community’s future growth and funding is based in part on the number of adults and children registered in our city.

Thanks to those that have already helped in the process. Special thanks to Jill Strube of the City and Julie Sommerfield of the county for preparing the support materials needed to tackle this challenge.

Come on Smithville – we want everyone to be counted!