I’m not someone who travels a lot. I’m more of a home body. A country girl. But I do like to indulge in a trip to a city here and there. As I get older, my desire to travel has grown.
I spent the weekend in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Not a huge city, but big enough for me.
I’ve always found, being in a city, opens my mind to possibility and always makes me more curious in general. I see interesting people and often wonder that their story is.
I think about all the hustle and bustle of everyday life with thousands of different agendas. Then there’s the businesses, shopping centres, restaurants, and pubs. The choices are endless.
Something I’m really not use to seeing, is homeless people or extreme low income. There happened to be an elderly lady outside the coffee shop yesterday morning, I took a few minutes to think about her struggle, as I was waiting in line. When I went back to the car, with the thought of helping her out, I learned that my husband had already given her all the change her could find in the car while I was in there.
This trip, I find myself seeing a different perspective. I found myself thinking about cryptocurrencies and the future technology that we are fast approaching and how it’s going to fit.
The particular hotel I am staying in, has a theme of the Nova Scotia fishing. There's artwork and decor all over the hotel of this theme, which in a sense is very grounding and a reminder of the core and history of Nova Scotia.
I think we are approaching a new age, fast. But I think we need to pay attention to these little things that represent places, people, cultures and history.
There’s important stuff and people, we can’t leave behind for our own selfish desires.
What if we get too caught up in technology, that we forget who we are, where we came from and overlook important things because of it? Is there a better way to merge it?
Technology is good and I whole-hearted believe that it will change the world for the good, but it’s up to us, the users, of this technology to still stay grounded in our roots and be open to learn others’.
It can only be useful if we don’t forget why we are using it. Why are we using it? What benefits does it have, other than novelty? In what ways does it make our lives better?
I think when we answer these questions individually for ourselves, it brings us back to our “why”.
I believe a lot of the reasons are on the lines of these “grounded” aspects I speak of. Maybe it’s wide spread connection with others, community or convenience., whatever it is, I think more than ever, we need to remind ourselves why we want these things.
Is there some easy way to be fully present in real life and fully present in technology?
It often gets put off, as though people who use technology are more absent minded, but really, it’s just that they’re more present in technology. Can we have a healthy balance in both?
With a busy fun fulled weekend in the city, I still managed to get an hour meditation in yesterday. I needed to feel even more grounded.
I also realized, even as busy as I am, and as much fun as I’m having, I still was inspired to post here on Steemit. (This is how I know it ’s a new found love.)
As I reached for my computer early this morning, to finalize this post, I am still noticing the subtle reminders of where I am. There’s always more beneath the service when we’re willing to explore.
Over the past few years I have challenged myself to open my mind up to understand as much as I can. Being in a city or any place I’m not use to seeing everyday, also prompts me to do so.
I can identify how it makes me feel when I’m here. Why I might want to come back. What do I like? What don’t I like?
I could have put this weekend in without noticing anything with my sense of wonder turned off, but I deliberately chose to widen my perspective and get as much as I could out of the experience.
We will be back home this evening, and as good of a feeling the thought of that is, I really do enjoy exploring here and observing things that I wouldn’t normally see.
I didn’t get as many pictures as I would have liked, but I shared with you the moments I was noticing more. (I'm far from a good photographer, sorry)
I come back here usually a few times a year, at least, and I will continue to make my trips here meaningful and a learning experience.
If you ever get the chance to visit Nova Scotia, Canada and the city of Halifax, it’s rich in history, stories, culture and will also give you a little taste of what “down home” is to us.
Wherever you are or where you plan to visit, be awake, notice, learn and ask yourself, how can we better merge this beautiful world with technology?"