Is killing two birds really better?

Cinci and Shermie inspecting weeds while Jonathan gracefully accepts a speeding ticket.

We're moving...again. This time I'm not complaining. Nor am I complaining about my current situation. We live in a closed community that consists of three large apartment buildings. Families, children, wildlife, and security included. The only thing lacking here are foreigners (except for ourselves of course). The people have been oh so friendly. This afternoon I sat outside with a few ladies. That's what I did. Sat. The wind blew their headscarves as they rolled rice into grape leaves. The table was arrayed with their edibles that they had made for the specific event of sitting. Of course their voices were chiming or croaking or cackling away. A word would bring an image to my mind every once in a while. But mostly I just sat and enjoyed the feeling of belonging whether or not I could brag about my children or husband or complain about my day or my situation in life. These women have a beautiful way of taking it easy. They aren't lazy. They work their butts off in the kitchen. More than any American woman I know (except for the American who has small children). Their apartments are spotless. But you would never know that they work so hard because the only time you really see them is when they are outside sitting at a table all arrayed with goodies and tea of course, chatting with their friends. I'm so used to having appointments or dates for things that require doing something else. For example:
1. Going to the store to buy food/ Why not go to the store with your kids to look at all the different kinds of foods and talk about them. Or just enjoy the air conditioning.
2. Going to releif society to do quilting for someone in need/ Why not go to relief society to just sit there and talk? (I have nothing against quilting for those in need. I'm just proving a point.)
3. Taking your friend out to lunch because its her birthday/ Why not just take her out to lunch?
4. Take a bus to get to work/ Why not take it to become familiar with the route?

All these examples sound quite dumb to my American way of thinking. "Why would I ever do that? Why not kill two birds with one stone?" I think to myself. I think we try to kill too many birds with one stone. I think I try to kill three or four birds with one stone and I think it's because I was raised in America. I do believe it makes life easier in many ways, but I think we miss out on some of the quality when we do this.

This is a view of the Bosphorus looking south from the Black Sea.