I had a time travelling experience on Mother’s day.

I went to visit my mother’s family in the country side.

As I was spending time with them, I realized that 25 years had gone by since the last time I visited this place.

I felt like I was back in 1986.

I was with the same people in the same location and nothing much had changed except for the wrinkles in all of our faces and a recently paved road.

My uncle took us in his old pick up truck to the river where we used to go fishing when I was a kid. It made an impression on me because I was at that same location 25 years ago with my wife. Now, I was there with the same uncle… and a 15 year old daughter.

When we met with the family, I remembered the old days and everything sounded familiar to me.

Same people, same house, similar home cooked-meals, people playing cards, new kids running outside with new dogs.

The place was so quiet and everything around me was moving in slow motion.

And then I realized how much my own life had changed in 25 years.

Living in the city, I have embraced all the new technologies and the lifestyle that goes with them. Living at  a fast pace most of the time, I have forgotten what it’s like to live at a slower speed.

Even when we choose to relax, we plan it in our agenda…

Fax machines, portable phones, PC’ s, Internet, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, smart phones, Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter and blogging are part of our lives. With every new innovation, our personal space is invaded.

When I add up all the time I spend with these technologies, I wonder what I was doing with my time before they existed.

Enough nostalgia!

When we feel overwhelmed  with our daily schedules, let’s try to remember how well we have integrated all these communication tools in our lives year after year.

Would you go back to the pre-internet era?

I wouldn’t.

I much prefer the world that we live now much better.

When we learn to use these technologies without becoming a slave, it enhances our quality of life.

We must learn to use them as time-saving tools. Not the other way around.

I was happy to visit my family.

And I’m very happy to be back home.