Maggie threw her pen at the computer. “Oh no! I can’t find the email I just wrote to my grandson. I hate the computer! Why can’t we go back to the way things used to be before the technology monster took over, when we talked to each other in person or on the phone?” Remembering she has friends to call, she picked up the phone and dialed her 81-year-old friend Toni. Toni would understand.
Maggie vented to Toni but heard only impassioned laughter. Finally, Toni gasped, “You know, Maggie, in the beginning I felt the same. I even thought to ignore my phone, let folks knock on my door like in the good old days. But then I saw a golden opportunity for us — brain exercises and memory boosters and unlimited learning we can do from home. Even better, the whole world is at our fingertips.”
“But I don’t know how to…”
Toni interrupted, “Hey, why don’t you come over this afternoon? My genius grandson taught me. He’d be happy to teach you, too.”
Relieved, Maggie said, “Oh, what a divine offer! Having time with Jesse, who I adore, and learning to conquer this monster and train my brain all at the same time?”
“Sure! Jesse loves you and feels so smart and important when he can help us!”
“I’m in!” Maggie chimed in enthusiastically. “I’m so happy to have a private tutor to stretch my brain! Now I’ll be able to flow with the times. Can I bring my ‘smart’ phone and learn how to Instagram a photo to my grandson? I am looking forward to growing smarter and less confused.”
“Sure.”
Maggie hung up the phone before she remembered, “Now where is the message I was looking for? Where is the email I wrote? It disappeared.
I’m so relieved I’m seeing Toni and Jesse this
afternoon. I adore learning and new adventures. But it’s the personal touch that makes all the
difference. Like talking to a neighbor or inviting
a friend for tea.”
“What if Toni and I created a new training for the young as a gratitude for Jesse’s generosity? We could teach them to slow down, greet the sun, and smell the roses. Maybe we can help change the whirlwind world stressing out the younger generations.”
And so there you have it: my challenges of embracing change, which some wise person once said is the only constant. I wonder if the young will cross this bridge the same way.
Pratibha Eastwood is a psychologist in private practice and a writer, currently preoccupied with the impact of aging. She loves taking life to the limit or beyond at any age.
