A Personal Perspective: Lessons I’ve Learned
I want to share a quick story about my dear friend, Carol. For years, her children tried to get her to use a tablet. “Oh, I don’t need one of those things,” she’d say. “It’s too complicated, and I have my books and my telephone.” She was perfectly happy in her analog world. But her grandkids were growing up in another state, and she felt she was missing out on seeing their daily lives.
Finally, for her 75th birthday, her son bought her an iPad and sat with her for a whole weekend, patiently showing her just one thing: how to open the video chat app. He put a big sticker next to the icon on the screen. The first time her 6-year-old granddaughter’s face popped up, giggling and life-sized, Carol’s eyes lit up. It was like magic.
Slowly but surely, she started exploring. She learned how to look up her favorite old movies. She discovered she could attend a watercolor painting class online through her local senior center. The tablet wasn’t a chore; it became her window to the world. Carol’s story reminds me that these gadgets aren’t about the technology itself. They’re about what the technology allows us to do: connect with loved ones, pursue our passions, and live with greater ease and security. Her initial hesitation was real, but the joy and connection she found on the other side were more than worth it.
