Away for a time, I am now ready to return...I think. While I often think I have nothing of any great importance to post (hence my silence), it has been pointed out to me that I am always spewing opinion and thoughts, some of which deserve contemplation. So, here goes~ As the equinox approaches, and all things are new again, I wonder at the newness before us. The world, after all, is ever changing. Now, our awareness of that constant change is heightened by our technology. We are ever aware, where once we could exist in an ignorant bliss. Wow, that sounded terribly sober, which is not my intent at all. Creatures of routine that we humans tend to be, we are often reluctant to accept change. And yet, change comes ever faster, as our technology changes. On the horizon is a set of spectacles (glasses) that will do what our phones do. And yet, it was only a less than twenty years ago when the concept of a phone that attached to the ear, or one small enough to fit in the palm of a hand seem preposterous. Well, most have accepted the bullet train speed with which our society is proceeding, I wonder about the finer points of communication that we leave behind. I hate the cavalier attitude of the person in front of me who talks on his cell phone while conducting business with a human being behind the counter. It is rude. I think, “Stop it. Suspend the phone conversation until you finish your business transaction. I know your parents did not raise you to be so inconsiderate.” Convenience and a disposable society have wrongfully inspired us to think that others no longer matter, when in fact, it is just the opposite. Because we are so buffered by our electronic devices, we should even be more aware of those precious opportunities to make contact with one another. Make eye contact with the clerk. Take the time to ask the toll taker “How’s your day going?” Take the initiative to take out the trash or discard an empty cup even if it isn’t yours as a courtesy to those around you. Seasons change, society adapts. Courtesy never goes out of style.