My dad owned a firewood business. Growing up I would help him load the trucks and do the deliveries on the weekends. We’d wake up at 6:30 a.m. jump into his red flatbed and start out on the route planned the night before.
All of my dad’s trucks were manuals. Our journeys always started out the same. My dad would have the steering wheel and weathered copy of the Hudson Map Book in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other. I got extremely good at shifting with my left hand.
That Hudson Map book got more use than a couch potato’s tv. Pages were dog eared, worn out and even though my dad got a new version every Christmas by the end of February his new book was just as weathered as the year before.
This week my men were invited to a play date. I had a general idea on where the house was but since we were running late I used Google maps. Full disclosure, the location services on my phone are not turned on. I don’t want my whereabouts tracked (it’s part of my crazy). So I even though I was only a few miles away I put in our home address. Technology screwed me over. I wasn’t going to give in but my eldest decided to take matters in his own hands and turned on the location services and got us to the play date.
Of course I turned it off again.
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Back when I lived in a cubicle for 40+ hours a week, my adjacent cube mate was a photographer. Her dream was to take and create a coffee table book of sites in St. Paul. At the coffee station we’d bond over our love for film and how photoshop is taking away the talent. It doesn’t matter if you have something in the background a couple clicks and you can fix anything.
Where does the talent come from, taking pictures or manipulating them?
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I’m supposed to be packing. Instead I’m mentally unpacking everything I planned to bring to Alaska.
Because of the Corona Virus we had to postpone our trip for a year.
I have been looking forward to Alaska for TWO years and I guess I’ll have to look forward to it for another year.
Disappointment weighs me down. I don’t think it’s going to get better. A group of my friends all turn 40 this year, to celebrate we’re going on a cruise in January. I’ve accepted the fact that we probably won’t be able to go on that either. Don’t tell my husband, but I’m not sure I want to go on it.
A beach vacation with my friends, YES! But what if we end up getting stuck on the cruise ship like the 40,000 employees that haven’t been able to disembark? I can’t be stuck on a ship!
So here I sit. Missing the old days. Days before technology ruled our moves, pictures and adventures.
If you need me, I’ll be mentally unpacking and hoping to hit the beach before it rains!
