information overload

i've been drowning in an information overload. i have found that i have access to so much information, that i don't know how to assess the value of that information to me, to my life. and, oftentimes, it seems that despite the great quantity of information i have access to, the less i feel informed about what really matters to me, my family, my community.

i read a lot. and, most of it, i read online.  newspapers. childrearing websites.  developmental disability websites. health websites. design websites. foodie websites. cooking websites. work-related websites. travel websites. dog websites. clothing websites. homegoods websites. various blogs. the list goes on and on and on.

recently, i have been asking myself how i place a value on the information i can and do access on a daily basis? how do i identify the golden nuggets of information that serve as a value-add to my life, not a time-drain? how do i discern what enriches my world from that which simply overloads it?

if you were hoping i had a clear answer to this conundrum, i don't. not really. it's more a reflection-question for you.

but, i have reached a little bit of clarity on the matter, for me anyway. i am just starting to realize that the information i find most enriching is that which comes from each of you. meaning, my community of friends, family, and strangers who are not quite strangers anymore thanks to the connection we share as parents, as parents/friends/family members of someone with a developmental disability, as individuals doing the best they can to provide as enriching a life as possible for themselves and their families.

that the information i find most valuable is that which you share with me - the parenting advice. the tips on typical health ailments confronting children with Down sydrome. the advice about what doctors to frequent in my hometown. the heads-up about special events about town. the advice on good physical therapy interventions. its the non-philosophical, practical, day-to-day, home-tested tools and information that other moms and dads in the know share freely, openly, willingly in their blogs, chat forums, and networks.

and, to think that i had never really read a non-newspaper-linked blog before a few months ago when i started writing this! the other information matters, too, of course. but what really feeds me right now is what i learn from each of you out there.

so, thank you.

how about you? where do you go for the information that enriches you most? is it a newspaper? a blogpost? a theme-based website?