29. Unplugged Yet More Connected
” The more ways we have to connect, the more many of us seem desperate to unplug.” Pico Jeyer
My husband, youngest daughter and I have taken VIA rail from Saskatoon to Toronto and back. Going through the winter wonderland of the Canadian Shield in Northern Ontario can be breathtaking. Snow laden evergreens bending low under the weight the burden, trees appearing to grow right out of the rocks, ice and snow covered lakes and an occasional settlement or small community as a change to the scenery. One thing we noticed on this journey along the rails through the wilderness is the lack of Wifi connection. Young people on the train watched DVD’s in their electronic devices for the first day but after that even they were willing to unplug and connect face to face.
We loved to attempt the walk from our car to the observation car, sometimes an easy, straight line, wander from one place to the other but occasionally as the train picked up speed on a straighter stretch the cars momentum flung you from side to side if you were not hanging on. We loved every bit of the adventure but one thing we truly enjoyed happened because people, including us, could not be plugged into our electronic gadgets. Texts, emails and phone calls just could not happen. It forced people to do some old fashioned, face to face visiting.
My husband chatting with someone we met in the observation car while looking above the rest of the train cars at the passing scenery and other trains we happened to pass. Usually we had to pull on to a siding and let the freight trains rush past us. We had time to enjoy the trip. We had the opportunity to meet people of all ages and from around the world.
I loved to hear stories from New Zealand and about the ladies travels to other parts of the world. We sat with a young university student from London, England who had just finished an exchange semester at the University in London, Ontario. He shared about home and the similarities or differences between studies in the two Londons.
Where else might you meet a young couple and hear the story of their courtship while he was stationed on a submarine or meet a lady from PEI who traveled every year on the train to Alberta. She gave us all kinds of stories from home and ways to make train travel more fun.
Yes by trying this new adventure of train travel through areas with no Wifi I learned that when people unplug from electronics they actually connect more with each other and stories fly between them helping pass the hours.
How do you unplug and connect with others? Heard any good stories lately?
Posted: October 29th, 2016 under Storytelling.