The Whistling Vicuna

         I practice it, too. Myspace, twitter, facebook, e-mail, electronic media. But, you know, I miss having a front porch. When I was a kid, every house had a front porch. All the neighborhood kids would gather there. It was “base” for hide-and-seek, it was a fort, it was an outside home, a nest where us fledglings were learning to fly.
      Moms and dads would go there too. (yes, it was a destination) You could sit outside with the family as the day’s heat radiated into the coolness of the evening. On weekends in summer, we could stay out late enough to see the stars come out. We would try to point out the summer greats, The Big Dipper, Scorpius, and if you were a smarty, you could always point out the North Star. Lightning bugs would flicker and everyone KNEW that everything was alright.
      The electronic media revolution has changed the way we communicate, with family, with friends, with co-workers. Perhaps in the business world, these changes have made certain processes better, quicker, more efficient. But, do we really want our personal relationships to be better, quicker, and more efficient?
One of the great joys of meeting people face to face is being able to really experience them. Face time allows you to be joyous with them, to be burdened with them. Eye contact when talking begins to cement a bond between two people and actual physical contact, a hand shake, the shoulder tap, the pat on the back hardens that cement into a shared experience, a commonality with two people.
      Now I ask you, does an emoticon really give as much information about someone as, say, a smile? Can paranthetical words (such as these) really speak the volumns required for understanding? I’m not saying don’t try to stay in contact (now there’s a word fraught with meaning) with those closest to you, but I am saying, don’t let that be the only means of communication you use. Stay in touch with those you love. Literally. They’ll be glad you did, and you will experience that gladness with them.