Progress

I was having a conversation with a friend while we were away last weekend about texting. I expressed that while I know it's now the way of the world, it still baffles me how an otherwise intelligent, well mannered, polite person can think it's okay to stop a conversation mid-sentence to answer and respond to a text without so much as an excuse me. Or while you're speaking to them, the head is suddenly in a downward position and you, the speaker, have no idea how long this pause will last, so you wait. Texting is a form of rudeness that is widely accepted now.

I know I'm taking the risk of sounding like a cranky old person here but I guess the rules about manners that I was taught as a kid like, "When someone's speaking to you, give them your undivided attention" or "When someone is speaking to you, don't interrupt them unless it's important" don't apply in this modern world of cell phones and texting. It's all about the quick fix.

We have a joke in our family that came about from a conversation my mother once had with her mother. I don't remember all the details, but when my grandmother became frustrated with my mother's point of view, she shouted out rather abruptly, "Well I guess I had a better upbringing than you!!". I'm sure you can see the same humor that we do in a mother saying this to the daughter she raised. So now if one of my family members is not on the same page as another during a conversation someone will shout out, "Well I had a better upbringing than you!" and invariably it brings a laugh. Here's the irony - as I grow older, I think I'm beginning to understand what she meant.

I wonder if every generation feels that they had the benefit of a more meaningful, less complicated, less dangerous world? I know this isn't the reality. Listening to the crazy things my dad used to do with his college buddies after a few beers sounds plenty dangerous to me! Or listening to the stories my mom would tell of living through the Great Depression and growing up poor sounded very complicated and scary, but somehow as we grow older all the crazy, hard, scary memories get replaced by what was good and joyful about that era. What a blessing!

What my memories are becoming about as I age is the connection we had (and thankfully still have) as a family. The fun dinners around the dining room table where there was no shortage of laughter. The in depth conversations had while various bodies sat on counter tops, chairs and floors watching my mom cook dinner. The music that was a constant in our household, and watching in awe at my parents connection while they danced in the middle of the living room floor or sat staring into eachothe'rs eyes singing while listening to it. The loving support from my siblings that showed itself in numerous ways through my childhood into adult years. Even through the difficult times, I remember the connection.

I understand that the world is always progressing into a new, faster paced place. I know that the invention of technology is exciting and fun and good but there is a time and a place for everything. Maybe the reason why I struggle with the whole texting thing is because it seems like a blatant disregard for what I treasure so deeply...face to face connection. Maybe that's why it rubs me the wrong way at times, because it seems like a slap in the face to what I value most in this life...face to face connection. Either that, or I'm just turning into a cranky old lady!

xo,
Carrie