I went to a party this weekend held in an airplane museum in the desert. The theme was “retro” which meant come in a costume that represented any decade in the 1900’s. I wore my 1980’s black jumpsuit with padded shoulders and a popped collar. I looked, as I did back then, much like the dimensions of a yield sign.
Yet, what was most fascinating about this event, was that the ambiance and the costumes preceded cell phones and our behavior was equally reflective. Children to the elderly engaged in conversations. I met a bright eyed five-year-old who shared he was about to turn six; a Grandfather remembering his basketball days in college, and a middle school teacher who once taught my children. We made eye contact, laughed and listened to one another without multi-tasking. It was a lovely reminder of what parties use to be like.
As our world races forward, and more people now own a cell phone than a toothbrush, let’s not forget the lessons of the past. And, what it was like to spend an evening connecting to the people in the room, instead of the world outside of it.
