Though possessing sub normal powers of observation it’s impossible for me to not notice how different simple things have become. Work place lunch time for instance. In my past work life it would have been used as an opportunity for interaction with jokes to be heard, storytelling, or of lending a sympathetic ear to a coworker suffering life’s glitches. Now I sit and watch a roomful of people spend their lunch time with heads bowed as in silent prayer to small electronic devices as they type endless communications to other people in other work places.
“Im wrkin …wher r u ?” will bring the important response of …..
“ OMG… me 2 …LOL…c u latr”
Those residing north of the Mason/Dixon will likely not comprehend this but here in Florida we suffer the cold as well. Why just this past week for instance had my F150 suffering the indignity of having its heater controls tampered with as we plowed our way to work through sub 40 degree temps. It’s been the same ride to work for two years now and another observation of things different came upon me on route just the other day. It was the sight of a young high school kid awaiting the school bus in the classic hunched forward texting stance. He and his peers stood shivering as their T shirts rendered them defenseless against the 39 degree temperatures. This particular young man shivered so hard he dropped his phone to the pavement mid text as I drove by. As I drive past them daily this particular observation caused a recollection.…
Six months prior I was driving past the same group of kids daily as the morning temperatures would quickly sweep past the lower 70s in an attempt to reach the already advanced humidity levels. They all stood hunched forward texting each other from beneath the hoods of their sweat shirts, not a single shiver to be seen.
When I was a kid and it was cold……the warmest kids were “cool”. And when I was a kid and it was warm ….the “coolest” kids were “hot”……now they’re all dyslexic.
