Missing the little things

I know that as a person and as a society we have gone through a lot of changes. Tough times, good times, complicated moments, and great achievements.

We have expanded, grown, gained new perspectives, and molded our way of life into what works for us. We continue to make great memories but in a different way than the ones before us and the ones before them.

I’m thankful for the things we have but I’m envious of what we are losing. No one is to blame and one generation is not better than the other. But as I sit here and think of some of the small things… I miss them.

What happened to hand written letters and home cooked family dinners?

When was the last time you walked into a house and the radio was playing instead of cable and a xbox?

When did it become so difficult to get everyone you care about in one room together for a few hours?

I miss coloring books and board games. Now we have touch screen iPads and coloring apps.

I’m just as guilty as the rest of us but sometimes I want to get back to those moments, even for an hour or a day. I don’t want to lose the bond and building of character that comes from socially interacting.

When was the last time you drove through a neighborhood and saw all the kids riding their bikes down the sidewalk and drawing out hop scotch or attempting double dutch jump rope?

When was the last time YOU turned the t.v. off, put the cell phone down, and actually drove to your friend’s house just to tell them about the hilarious conversation you had with the stranger at the grocery store? I couldn’t tell you the last time I had a random short visit to a friend’s.

You know my door bell hasn’t rang unexpectedly in over a year? I haven’t knocked on someone else’s door just to see how they are doing in longer than that.

We have grown into a time where it is more convenient for us to send a text and go on about our day rather than putting forth the effort that we used to for each other. Now if it isn’t convenient, it doesn’t happen.

When did life become a nuisance?

When did we get so selfish?

I’d like to say that I would be ecstatic if a good friend knocked on my door Saturday morning for a cup of coffee or just to pop in during the afternoon for a ten minute chat before they went on their way.

But would I?

Has it been that embedded into our social standards that to show our care for someone, we have to send a text with LOL and a heads up before we disrupt their day? A good friend stopping by for a short visit because they were in the neighborhood shouldn’t disrupt my day. It should make it better!

I drove past the High School on my way to work the other morning and you know what I saw? I saw every teenager I passed walking to school with their head down, playing with their phone, iPod, or tablet.

They were walking in groups and they might as well have been walking alone.

I feel like we are missing out on all the good things in life because we think we can capture it all within what technology has provided.

Yes, we will always have the pictures we took with our iPhone. We will have the videos taken with the GoPro. The status updates online that we made with our tablets to a social media site.

But what about the memories that went with the captured moments?

The ones you can close your eyes and see forever and it warms your heart?

I don’t need Facebook to remind me of the fun I had playing cards with my grandparents or the wonderful conversation I shared with my mom while she braided my hair.

Those moments helped shape who I am today and I still smile when I think about them.

I miss when life was about more than the latest and greatest. When it was about was right in front of us. People. Family. Friends.