Skyping with an 85 year old.

I just Skyped my 85 year old Nana back in Dublin all the way from Vancouver. It's at times like this that I really get to appreciate this kind of technology by explaining to my elderly Nana how exactly she's seeing my face in a different country and at an entirely different time of day. The ease at which we can communicate these days is taken for granted and often just expected. But for a brief moment, I was grateful and in awe at where technology is taking us.

My Nana is in a geriatric home in a small suburb of Dublin, eight hours ahead of me. As we chatted, the music to the credits of 'Eastenders' was audible in the background and I could hear the jostle of the tea trolley as the nurses go around dispensing the pills for the evening to the other old folks. As I sat in Vancouver, just about to finish my morning coffee, I found myself looking at the small screen on my iPhone looking at my Nana's gorgeous face as she blew kisses at me for about 10 minutes. She left me beaming with smiles and it made my day. How amazing is it that I could have a video chat with my 85 year old Nana halfway around the world, for free and not only hear her voice but see her face also? The distance between us was cut in half and the precious time we share together was heightened just for a moment. 

Sometimes technology and expectations shift so fast that we forget how far we've come. I now see why Microsoft over valued this magnificent tool. It is invaluable.