I had a reunion with people I haven’t seen in over six months. There is nothing quite like the feel of a hug, especially from someone who has shared their life with me.
I got to thinking about the difference between my life now and my life as a child. It’s a tactile difference. My newer friends and business colleagues are IM, phone, or email “contacts.” What a funny word for a relationship with no flesh-to-flesh tactile component.
I don’t watch “the news” anymore. I listen to folk music through a speaker, not an earbud, and I sing out loud when I know the song.
Besides the hugs, I really miss the fact that I sang with the people who hugged me yesterday. I miss that. I miss what happens to my body when it resonates in the same song sung by another voice and the room fills with that sound.
I am grateful for the convenience of technology. I do think it needs to be used in moderation, like everything else. It is possible to become addicted to techno-toys and in the process, become oblivious to the sensory experience of being part of an ECOsystem.
I have one project to finish up. By then I hope the sun will have melted the ice from my windshield. I’ve earned an extra long hike today.