Gratitude makes us healthier, at least according to some scientific studies. When I feel down and out, I try to remind myself of all the things for which I am grateful – all the things I enjoy in life.

At present, I am nursing a broken rib from a recent fall and a case of tendinitis in my knee from some over ambitious fall gardening, as well as a sudden case of jaw popping when I chew. So, a good dose of gratitude should help. This post is part of my newest series – the Gratitude Series, meant to help us all remember some of the wonderful parts of our world and our life, so we can all be healthier and happier.

Here are some of the reasons I think we should all be grateful we live in a time when there is an internet.

Connections to others.

Before we had internet, we connected to others either in person, on the phone or by letters.

Now we can join groups, do video chats, see what our friends or family members are doing via social media and so much more.

By joining, a blogging community, for instance, I connected with people who share my interest, from whom and to whom I can get and give advice, find job opportunities and follow trends.

Comparison shopping.

Before the internet, we had to physically go to multiple retail stores, write to multiple companies or read magazines (already out of date on pricing) or newspapers or watch/listen to TV/radio ads to find the best deal.

Now we can sit on our bums on the couch, researching prices on most everything we would ever want to purchase, reading about the features, instructions for use, average lifespan and more using internet searches.

If I want to figure out what kind of laptop to buy, for instance, I can find and compare different makes and models on sites that sell new and used equipment; I can read user reviews to get an idea of how others view the various products; I can check availability, price and other costs and even order the computer online and have it sent directly to my home or office.

I have worldwide access to products that I would never have been able to find in my area prior to the existence of the internet.

Side gigs.

Before the internet, pursuing a part time job from home involved either a local job (such as delivering neighborhood newspapers door to door); or responding to a newspaper help wanted ad for some kind of work from home job (like stuffing envelopes for marketers).

Now, there are internet sites dedicated to describing routine and unusual ways to make money from a side gig – from writing articles for sites for pay to soliciting consulting jobs; from taking online surveys for money to using your artistic skills to do graphic design for others.

I write for several sites owned by other people, they pay me!  That’s an example of one of my side gigs!

Job searches.

Back in the 1970’s when I was looking for my first job, it was no easy task. I wasn’t aware of any place to which I could turn for leads – no head hunters, no contracting firms and certainly no job sites listing available jobs. We searched the local help wanted pages, went to the library to research companies in other areas and used the yellow pages and telephone (along with the postal system) to find our jobs back then.

Now looking for a job seems much easier. Note that I said ‘looking for’, not ‘landing. With the internet I can search out types of jobs, find out what their average, bottom and top salaries are, find companies that are interesting and understand which may be the best for which to work. I can put my resume on head hunter sites and social media sites such as Linked In and have recruiters contact me with opportunities. I can even find out what people with my skill set are typically paid by region.

My sons matured during the internet age. They are both in a high demand career area: programming. They have both posted their qualifications online and frequently are contacted by head hunters.

Knowledge seeking.

Before the internet was around, if you needed an answer to a question, you looked it up in books, or asked someone you knew. If you wanted to fix something in the house, for instance, that had broken – like a light switch, you called an electrician and paid through the nose, or attempted to use a sketchy description in a book such as “The New Complete Do It Yourself Manual”.

Now, you fire up the internet and watch one of many You Tube Video’s showing and explaining exactly what must be done, along with caveats on what to avoid.

When I needed to fix my vertical blinds, for instance, I searched the internet to find and use multiple sites that had text, pictures and video explaining the various issues that might exist with vertical blinds along with graphic and detailed methods to fix those issues.

Before the internet, if you wanted to take a class, you went in person or took a by mail correspondence course. My Dad took a learn to draw correspondence course by mail for example.

Now, most colleges and universities have online classes that count for credit. Many other organizations offer online courses for specific interests. Others specialize in certain areas to help with continuing education requirements in some fields.

However, some fear that the vast knowledge repository we are building on the multitudinous server repositories on the internet will eventually replace the knowledge in our brains – we won’t need to memorize facts, we won’t need the information in writing and if we lose connectivity, we will be without recourse.

Convenience.

Before the internet existed, many things – such as all of the above- were harder to do. Buying and selling stock for instance, mainly had to be done via letter or phone call to a broker (usually a full service broker who charged high fees and commissions).

Now, with the internet, we can bank from home, trade stock (usually at very low or zero commission rates) from bed, pay bills without leaving the house, plan vacations, order food and have it delivered and so much more.

Entertainment.

Before the internet we relied on books, newspapers, magazines, over the air TV, cable and satellite as well as in person performances and activities for entertainment.

Now we can watch TV shows from the 1960’s; custom movies via Netflix, You Tube videos and have our news feeds consolidated and sent directly to our inbox. We can instantly be alerted to what is going on around us in the world via Twitter and other sites and share our own lives easily on many sites.

I’m grateful to be living at a time when smart people world wide have made all of this available to me, sitting here on my couch.

Are there other reasons you are grateful for the internet?