The Village

I was brought up by “the village” we knew our neighbours, my nana lived 3 doors down the street. If my parents weren’t home we would go find a friend to play with or go play with the button tin at nanas – ahhhh the button tin. We would play in the street, walk up the road to our friends place with mum yelling after us “be back before dinner”, and we would cause you don’t want your mum to have to come get you!!

These days I barely know who lives next door to me, my little girl is only 3 and has friends but they are scattered – not up the street – and as for playing in the street –


Are.

You.

Kidding!

The hoons or should I say goons who speed up and down our street mean that my little girl won’t be playing there any time soon! Yeah – I know that times have changed……there are more cars on the road, more technology to keep us busy….and stressed!

Technology – it’s keeping us connected that is true – before FB or IG or Snap this or chat that, to talk to a friend overseas you had to make a long distance crackly call that cost a fortune – and sending pictures, well before the invention of this fandangle thing called email you actually printed them and posted them! WOW – and yes I am that old!! So yeah – all this connection is amazballs. I love the fact that we can send pictures to our friend or share them instantly – that we can see our friends kids growing up even though we can’ t be there, and that my mum (a techno phobe) has started txting me with emoji’s ☺

So if we are soooooo connected – why are many of us so lonely?? Yes we have this “virtual village” and believe me I for one think it’s great – especially at the 2am feed – but actual, physical, real hug them people are great too. And for some reason the more connected we are through technology we get, the less connected in real life we seem to be!

Back in the day (yes I did just say that!) you would “drop in” on your friends and family for a visit – “call round for a cuppa” and a chat. We don’t do that anymore. Well I don’t, and neither do my friends! I know that I always feel as though I would be “bothering” my friends if I did (my mum and dad are old school so are always happy for a cuppa if they are in) – that I must “give notice of my intentions” But if we give notice we also give the receiver an easy out. Easy cause they don’t have to say to your face “sorry no” you can just txt or msg “sorry too much on – too busy – I’ve got swimming etc etc” because you think it’s too hard or can’t be bothered. I know I’m not speaking for everyone, and totally get that life is soooo much busier these days with jobs and kids and play groups and music and work and soccer and piano and swimming and and and and arrrrrrrgh –

We NEED to stop, call in and have that cuppa, that chat and that hug!

Let’s stop with the silly little excuses and all start making the effort – let’s bring back the real village – the real community and give real hugs and kisses to those close by instead of the emoji ones!

And don’t worry – if you try calling in for a visit and no one is home, it’s ok – it happened all the time when I was a kid – just call onto the next friend or family member, or carry on to the park, the café and make a day of it – win win!