The More Things Change...

I remember when I was a kid and my friends and I would spend entire days outside - hanging out at the playground, shooting hoops, gossiping, and imagining a life where we were grown and out experiencing the world.

I remember the days when I would stretch a phone cord halfway across the house so I could talk to my best friend for hours about absolutely nothing, while making plans for the next day. Back then, we didn't know those moments would become memories. They were just life - a life that was being lived and experienced each day.

Now I watch a generation growing up with technology in their hands from the moment they can hold a device. Their social lives revolve around what is happening on a tiny screen, and they bond through text messages and social media.

Yet, I do love technology. I love having the world at my fingertips and how accessible information has become. I love the connections I've made with people on the other side of the world that I never would have necessarily met otherwise. (Not to mention, it led me to my husband and my family!) Without the world advancing the way it has, some of my favorite memories and some of my favorite people would not exist in my life.

So how do you reconcile those two truths?

How do you appreciate the incredible advancements we've made while still missing some of what's been left behind? Can you really embrace the future without feeling disconnected from the past?

I guess that's nostalgia in a nutshell. You don't necessarily want to go back or undo anything. Rather, you gain an appreciation for what once was.

As I sit here reflecting on the world and how it's changing, I find myself becoming more and more like the adults I used to listen to when I was younger. The ones who would moan about their aches and pains, and talk about how different things were "back in their day."

I guess the more things change, the more they stay the same.

I think the biggest takeaway from all of my rambling is that we need to stop wishing to go back in time and learn, once again, how to appreciate and be grateful for where we were, where we are, and hopefully where we're going.

Now I'm going to turn the tables on you!

I'd love for you to share a little bit about yourself:

• If you could sit down with your younger self today, what advice would you give?

• What's something you wish you had appreciated more while you were living it?

• What's one lesson life has taught you that you didn't fully understand until much later?

I'd love to hear your thoughts, memories, and stories in the comments.