Camping Again

I am about to head out the door to go camping with my Scouts. One thing I like to do before each camping trip is print up a brochure for the boys and their parents. It has all the important information like dates, times, packing list, menu, and a permission slip for the parents to sign. It saves me from having to answer a bunch of last-minute questions.

Normally I pass out the brochure at the Scout meeting before the camping trip. However this week we did a bike ride and I knew the paper would get lost if I gave it to the boys. So last night I leashed the dog and set out on foot. The idea was to visit every boy and make sure they were all personally invited on the camp out.

The weather was perfect as I walked around the neighborhood. The dog was well behaved. I was able to chat with those neighbors out working in their yards as I made my rounds. It was amazing to me how many people I know that live near me. Furthermore some boys that were thinking about skipping the weekend outing felt like they would miss out on something special and decided to make arrangements to go.

This got me thinking about how technology is changing our personal interactions. My walk ended up being about two miles and my body needed the exercise (as did the dog). I didn't use a car. I didn't use a phone. I didn't use e-mail. I didn't use a text message. I suppose I could have sat on my indoor bike and sent a text message to each of the boys with the same results. However it was very rewarding to pay a personal visit to each of my Scouts.

Remember that technology is meant to make our lives easier. If you have to send more than one text message to communicate with someone, don't you think you would be better served by giving them a call? If you need to ask your neighbor a question and you can see them in the front yard, isn't it easiest to just open your front door and talk to them? Just a little food for thought as I spend yet another night without the luxury of technology.