Woes

This topic will sound old. But it isn’t. It is new. Every time it happens, it is new. Sometimes that is daily, maybe weekly. Often it is more than daily. What is this woe? Well, take a deep breath. It’s rapidly changing technology.

This week, I routinely began to post my blog. But the Word document carefully written days before, was not retrievable. I could not find it. Anywhere. I looked for another document to fill the space but couldn’t find the next prepared post item. It too, was not available for retrieval.

I scratched my head and spent hours searching through my technology platforms. Nothing arose to solve the problem. I stewed about the situation for a few more hours then told my good friend Pam what had happened. That evening, before supper, she noodled through my computer system and came up with a solution. She found and retrieved the missing documents and saved them to a place I could easily access. I did so this morning and posted my Monday blog one day late.

As I slept with this problem through the night, I realized the issue was not solved. It was a recurring problem that would visit me many times in the future. Why this is so, is a feature of the problem itself.

I am 82. I’ve grown up with technology from its inception. An early adopter and teacher to my kids, I’ve made personal computing a part of my private life and also my career. The problems that followed probably happened because I’m focused on content, not system. I memorize system without understanding it. I use it as a tool to manage the content I hold dear.

The problems flow from that elemental reality. Technology changes; often with great speed. Hiccups flow quickly from the changes. I interrupt routines to catch up with software changes. Hardware changes are more difficult but managed just the same. But the intervals spent doing these acts are soon forgotten as I continue to focus on contents.

I know this circumstance affects each of us, all of us. But elders face the problem more often and with much more downside. We solve such problems slowly and with much more time than more youthful people. Afterall, my granddaughters are not available 24/7 to straighten out my system issues.

Our tasks living with technology loom large in our daily confrontation with the world. They seem insurmountable at times. And they are. Until someone helps us. Or until a lonely thought in the middle of the night suggests a solution. In the morning those thoughts usually do provide the fix. At least for a time; a very short time.

So, the woes of life for elders are often our daily encounters with technology. Please know this and respect our confusion and addled stares.

October 3, 2025

 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Intimacy

As we mature, we become deeply involved in relationships. Some of this is basic family relations – siblings, parental – and the like. Next is friends who enter our homes and we theirs. Neighbors, classmates, mutual hobbyists and so forth. Then we develop friendships that go much deeper. We comfort one another when we are hurting physically or emotionally. We discuss the matters of life and learn much more about ourselves and each other. We can even anticipate how others will react to various situations and stimuli. Good friendships do not spread to everyone we know. No, good friendships are special, close and deeply personal. We focus attention and brainpower on these few friends. Some special relationships focus on specific topics of interest and importance. Yes, we have specialized friendships. Most common. But one day, we get to know one person very well. An emotional connection forms with deep roots. A need to know the person more fully expands in personal ways. We sense this b...
Read more

Bits & Pieces

Pie: Apple pie more specifically. With Thanksgiving just passed, many of us enjoyed a good apple pie. Sure, there was pumpkin to accompany the turkey, but in our family multiple pies are offered in the holidays. Apple is surely one. Pecan, pumpkin and others, too. But I almost always choose apple. When I was in college, I was asked what kind of pie did I eat most often. In front of my mom, I answered apple, because I was always looking for a pie as good as mom’s own. Of course my mother was pleased, but it was a true statement just the same. When I was married, Ann’s pie was darned good. Her mother’s recipe. But we fiddled with the recipe until it took on its own generational name, and boy, was it good! Today I still order apple pie for dessert because I am always looking for a great pie to challenge our family recipes. I rarely do find such a prize. Do others do the same? Do you search for a great pie of choice, continually? If you do, what’s your story? Why do you do this? ...
Read more

Remembering Tom Sherlock

Tom Sherlock died on Wednesday, April 3rd. He was 65 years old and did not survive a heart surgery. That was his unexpected end and sad enough. But there is more to his story. Tom joined Dan Schuyler and George Safford to create what became the Village Chronicles, a weekly newspaper serving Warrenville, Illinois. That paper expanded to serve Winfield and then West Chicago. The paper published for eight years and built a good reputation for itself. Tom served the paper in several ways. He was our information technology guru, provided hardware and software to support the paper's operations. He was our sole bookkeeper, accountant and financial manager. He designed our distribution process and provided office space for meetings and layout and typesetting. His efforts supported the work of 32 volunteers who wrote and reported on the communities we served.  The newspaper broke even financially most of the time, but it was a struggle. Tom managed to find money to keep the newspaper afloat...
Read more