I will admit that I was once resistant to growing technology. There was a time when I believed that I would never have, nor did I want a computer. I remember when I graduated from using a manual typewriter, to an electric one. I loved the ease with which my fingers could type. About twenty years ago, my husband at the time, purchased a used computer. He assured me that I was going to love it. He was right. The amount of time saved from fixing errors, that I frequently had to do with a typewriter, was phenomenal. I no longer had to waste paper or ink ribbons. I retired White Out as my best friend, easily replacing it with the newly discovered delete and backspace button on the computer.
I cannot say that I was equally delighted with an electric sewing machine. I began sewing on my great grandmother’s treadle sewing machine, which I loved. Besides being functional, it was beautifully encased in an oak cabinet with rounded corners and it had a lovely floral cover that had kept it in mint condition. When the leather belt wore out and broke apart, I mostly gave up sewing. Sadly, I learned many years later, long after having let it go, that I could have found a replacement belt.
Technology and computers frequently frustrate me. The use of them does not come naturally to me like it does to my grandchildren. I believe; however, that as long as we are still breathing we need to do our best to keep up with the times. We all know the many downsides of computers and smart phones. They distract us, they monopolize our time, and they prevent us from connecting with one another on a more personal level. Still, I have grown to appreciate the way in which the World Wide Web helps us to serve our fellow man in surprising ways. For most of my life, if I wanted to research something, I had to go to the library. A set of encyclopedias, if you were lucky enough to own a set, would often be out-of-date. Finding information was time consuming and it was not always available. Today I only have to put a question to Google, or watch a how-to YouTube video, or look something up in Wikipedia. When I am engrossed in writing, I no longer have to get out my dictionary or thesaurus because I can access these from my computer, as well. This sharing of information is evidence of how we are all connected. We depend upon each other and everything. We are not islands. We can choose to live as a recluse or a hermit and we may feel isolated and alone, but the truth is, that we are all in this life together.
