It is no surprise that our parents led a life with more personal contact; they visited friends and family more often. It was not uncommon for guest to drop in unannounced when I was young.
These days, ubiquity of the phone has made it somewhat mandatory to call before we show up someplace. Coupled with busier lives, caused in turn by longer working hours and longer commutes, the result is fewer social meetings. We find it easier to coordinate with work colleagues and as a result there is a bigger overlap between our work life and social life.
Yesterday, I noticed a new deterrent to a face to face meeting with a friend. I left office a little early yesterday and as I was driving past a certain landmark, I realized that a friends office was only a short detour away. I hadn't met this friend in many months and he has always been welcoming whenever I visit and we have often chatted over a cuppa at his office.
Yesterday, however, I realized that parking near his office has been getting increasingly difficult. I deferred visiting him as I was not looking forward to looking for a parking slot.
We now have to add parking woes to the ever growing list of reasons responsible for reducing our social connect with people outside our office.
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