I spent the weekend in Northern Ontario, on the Canadian shield.  It’s essentially pure bedrock, so that leaves mostly pine/cedar trees to grow.  While the Rockies (out west) certainly shine, I still think that proto-typical Canada is the rivers & lakes surrounded by rolling hills of pine.  I’ve got a few Tom Thompson paintings to reinforce that bias.

It was a long weekend up here, and normally I try to take the Friday off as well, given the 6 hour drive to get here.  That didn’t work out this year, and I needed to bring my laptop up.  So from 8 til about 1 I was typing and chatting away while the rest of the family was puttering around the cottage.  I managed to get a video conference going too, which honestly is a bit odd to have in a Muskoka chair, sitting on a deck with a cup of coffee.  I left to hit some golf balls shortly thereafter, and finished one large procurement on my phone on the 2nd hole.

The feeling of putting it down, and just breathing was very nice.  Sure, it was there in case I needed it, but I was able to just unplug and enjoy time with family and the great outdoors.

I’m finding it hard sometimes, with what would be a nervous habit of pulling out a phone to check on something.  Usually work related.  So to be able to spent 8 hours in a boat with my father & father-in-law, not even see the time go by, not get a single ding, and have a smile for most of it… that was more than great.  And while nearly everyone has a some piece of tech with them, we all spent a ton of time just sitting and talking and laughing.  The habit of playing cards with some, while others scroll on a tiny screen was replaced by being outside til midnight with beer and a smile.

While the irony of using technology to share this story is not lost on me, I still find it important to share stories relating to relationships without technology.  There’s a lot of good to come from putting things down, and just looking someone in the eyes.