Not Alone

I have discovered something recently: I am not the only old soul out there. Or, at least, the rest of my generation is starting to catch up to me.

While browsing Facebook the other day, I came across something peculiar. A trend began to emerge right before my eyes, unfolding as I scrolled farther down the page. Looking at all of the posts, all of the shared pictures and witty comments, I saw that my friends were expressing a nostalgia that I had never really seen before.

What were they so nostalgic about? The only decade my generation has ever truly known: the '90s. "Like this if you're a 90s baby", "Share this if you remember Lizzy McGuire's parent's names", "Like in 3 seconds if you played with a bop-it". Yeah. I get it. We played with toys that are no longer on the market and we watched shows that are no longer on TV. We want to relive that because it was a fun time in our lives! We were kids with no responsibilities and no heartaches (that is, unless your Slinky broke). I understand being nostalgic about an awesome family vacation or that one time you stayed up late secretly listening to your new S Club 7 CD, but being nostalgic about an entire decade? This is something that I haven't encountered before.

I grew up listening to my parents talk about "the good old days" of the '70s and I remember thinking about how old and dated it made them sound. Now we're talking about the '90s in the same way. I guess it's just a part of growing up.

While this realization is a bit startling, it does make me pretty excited about the future. My generation is the first that will essentially grow up on Facebook. We're going to be the pioneers who make the transition from posting pictures of college parties to posting pictures of our newborn children. And we have no examples of how to do that!

Maybe thinking so much about the future is something an old soul does, too. Maybe you finally cross the threshold of adulthood when you focus more on the past and future than the present. But to my fellow Facebook pioneers, '90s kids, and old souls, I'd like to say one thing: let's not forget entirely how to be kids. I don't mean that we should focus on the childhood we've left behind, but that we should focus on the present, the way kids do. There's a lot of great stuff going on today, in this moment, and someday we'll be nostalgic for 2012. Enjoy it while it's here. Cherish your past, enjoy the present, and get pumped for the future! Time is on your side because you're only as old as you feel.

Technology at Its Finest

So I haven't blogged in awhile. I've just been enjoying all the new technology around me! Just kidding. I've pretty much been doing the same old stuff as usual, although there has been one new technological development that has captured my attention and delighted my soul: Pottermore.

I am a huge Harry Potter fan and have been since about third grade. I remember pretending to be a young witch during recess, casting spells and riding the Hogwarts express. Reading the books with my mom is a cherished memory of mine. When the movies came out, I felt like I had really been transported into the magical world. And now with Pottermore, the Harry Potter experience is enriched even further.

I feel like a kid in a candy store. I have a wand (Apple and Pheonix feather, 10 3/4 inches, quite flexible) and I'm part of a Hogwarts house (Hufflepuff--I was a bit surprised, but I'm learning to love it). I'm gaining insight into things I never knew about the stories, and the world feels like a brand new and exciting place!

I'm really impressed with Pottermore, not just because it's fun and awesome, but because it's different from anything else I've encountered on the Internet. This site isn't used solely to capitalize on the HP franchise (although I'm sure that's a nice perk!); it's used primarily to enhance the reader's experience, so that new generations of Potter fans (and old ones too!) can connect even more with the books. It's like pretending to be Harry on the playground, but it's on the computer instead. It's perfectly suited for this technological age. And the best part: it still encourages reading.

One thing I've learned from Pottermore and my recent experiences with technology is that it really doesn't matter what technology or medium you use--printed books, EReaders, movies, or others--as long as there is a way to truly connect with a story. That's what turns a small experience into a cultural phenomenon. Technology isn't bad as long as we use it to improve society and engage the next generation. If we need a site like Pottermore to get kids excited about reading, I'm all for it. And while I'm there, I'll reawaken my own sense of wonderment at the literary world around me.