2010 - Year of Paper & Pen

Oh my God it's 2010. Really, stop and think about that. Say it out loud. Two thousand and ten. Twenty-ten. From a 2009 perspective, or even a 2002 perspective, I suppose it sounds and feels normal, but think back to the nineties, or the eighties, or whatever generation you came up in and think how futuristic 2010 sounds. I can remember riding the bus when I was in 4th or 5th grade (in 1989) and thinking about when my little sister would graduate from high school. I did the math in my head and determined that she would graduate in a new millennium; a millennium marked by spaceships and aliens, flying cars and floating cities. That's right, she was to graduate in the space-age of 2004. Ooooh. Imagine my surprise, years later, as I sat in attendance at her high school graduation, sans spaceships and aliens. Additionally, we drove there in our regular non-flying car, to a very regular, non-floating suburb. How disappointing.

So 2004 was a disappointment, but, according to my 5th grade logic, 2010 would officially be "the future". For sure there would be flying cars and Jetson-like lifestyles by then, right?

Hmmm, I'm not so sure. But it's all relative, right? If you look at how much has happened from 1989 to 2010, especially in terms of technology, I'd say "the future" has arrived. Who could have imagined iPods and laptops and the internet!!! What about blogs and those fugly Crocs, and even the show LOST! And hello, social networking, GPS systems, electric cars, iPhones, (F)Ugg(ly) boots, hybrid fruits and the Snuggie suit??? Heck, one of my oldest and dearest friends recently had robotic surgery -- that's right, robots operated on her. Crazy, really, really crazy, but true.

These amazing innovations are proof that "the future" is here. Maybe it's not as dramatic as I once envisioned, but it is creeping upon us slowly but surely, year by year. As much as I love some (definitely not all) of these innovations, I have my reservations. I think the one thing that scares me a little is our growing dependence on technology and how much of an instant, information-hungry people we have become. Think about it, with the click of a button on any one of our devices, we can access just about any information, music, person, show, game, etc. that we desire. The constant twenty-four hour stream of news, status updates, and messages means that we're always connected and available, whether actively or passivley. While there's undeniable great benefit to that, I think are major drawbacks as well.

One specific drawback, and one that has affected my life is the declining quality of my friendships and relationships. During these past few days, I've been on a mad cleaning and organizing frenzy in an attempt to restore order to my life. Long story short, I wound up going through the chest in the bedroom that holds, among other things, all of the letters and important pieces of mail that I've ever received. There are hundreds upon hundreds of cards, notes, letters, postcards and yes, even special emails and IM chats that I have printed and saved. So I wound up going through many of these letters and cards, and was absolutely amazed by a few things. First of all, up until maybe five years ago, me and my friends all kept in touch by mail and by phone. Seriously, we would send letters back and forth, and call each other regularly. What's amazing to me is that both modes of communication have died. I no longer talk to anybody on the phone, and I no longer write nor receive letters. For some reason I never really thought about this until I went through and read the piles of letters and saw how much quality stuff was in them.

The other thing that amazed me was how many really special people and relationships I have forgotten about and lost touch with over the years. I rediscovered old letters from past co-workers, distant friends, and random people who I've met over the years, and while the rediscovery of their letters brought great joy, they also made me sad that I no longer have these people in my life :(

These days, (geeze, I sound like I'm from the 1920's) my friends and I keep up with each other through text messages, status updates and the occasional email, and you know what? All things considered, I think that sucks. I really do. I get it that we're all super busy, trust me, I really get that, but busy or not, I miss real friendships and the effort it takes to nurture them. Technology has enabled us to expand our networks and to connect with a greater quantity of people, but for me personally, the quality of these connections is lacking.

So... along with my box of letters, I also found my box of stationary & stickers, and am eager to write you a letter, or draw you a picture, or write you a poem, or just send you an envelope full of love :) And I hope that you'll write back and that we can start something. But since my address book is not current, please send me your address at: stewmody@comcast.net.

So yeah, it's 2010 and I guess the future is here. Woo. While the rest of world waits anxiously for the newest technological innovation that will "advance" our lives in some ridiculous way, I will be writing you a letter in hopes of advancing our relationship in a meaningful way. I am officially declaring 2010 the year of paper and pen!

Sincerely,

Jen

PS. Happy New Year!