Saying Goodbye

This morning I say goodbye to the world upside down. The uni buddies I was staying with were also saying goodbye to their little man as they headed off for work. He got offered a treat if he gave nice high fives, nice hugs and not too many tears. So I thought it was only fair that I walk down the road to the coffee shop and get myself a treat too. Since I thought my fist bumps were excellent, and I didn't get too emotional about leaving this wonderful part of the world.

Technology has changed our lives a lot in the last couple of decades, but most of it has been refining. Smart phones, GPS, better animations, social media and alike are cool. But how much do they completely change our lives? Like indoor plumbing? Electricity? Cars? I like thinking about what could happen that would have a huge impact. When would a 'This changes everything' statement mean more than 'Check this, its pretty cool'?

The three realistic candidates for me are driverless cars, artificial intelligence, and solar energy. A less realistic one, but one that is particularly relevant when you are about to face a very long flight is super quick travel. Imagine you could go from anywhere to anywhere in the world in less than two hours? I heard Richard Branson was talking of something along the lines of a shuttle that goes up, the world spins, and it comes down. Sydney London? No problem.

When little boys say goodbye to Mommy and Daddy in the morning, part of the trauma may be that they don't know when they are going to come back. When we are scattered around the world, even as big little boys, we aren't always sure when we are going to get to see the people we care about again. That feeling that you can't see them when you want to isn't great. At least we have lots of ways to stay in touch. It isn't like the scene from Braveheart where the little girl hands the little boy a flower to say sorry, then he disappears for more than a decade and comes back speaking French.

Sydney does feel a lot closer than it was a couple of decades ago. My friend was saying his Grandmother had told him that the trip used to cost almost as much as a house. It isn't that bad anymore, but it is a fairly brutal journey. Especially with little people. I am sure there could be some entertaining guest posts from parents with experiences on long haul flights.

So as I head back to London, I will try behave myself and not throw any tantrums. I will try and just think about how much I have enjoyed the world upside down. And I'll be back.