Modern Day Technology

I did not know that I could run so fast, much less do so while managing stairs. Most often these days I look more like a cripple than an athlete.

At 5 a.m. the central sound system in my son's very modern home began blaring. Yikes! I jumped out of bed not exactly sure what to do. Questions tumbled through my mind..."Why is it on?" "Who turned it on?" "Did the grandchildren program it to come on so early as a prank?" "How do I turn it off???"

I found a control panel in the bedroom but for the life of me could not find the right buttons to either turn it off or decrease the incredible volume. The print is so small on stuff these days and when your heart is pounding and all you can think of is 'Turn it off!' finding glasses is not even on the radar.

I bolted down two flights of stairs to the kitchen and finally managed to find a volume control that worked. My granddaughter later showed me where the power button is to simply turn it off. I'm sure I hit the power button to no avail in the bedroom.

My heart still pounding I went back to bed, grateful that the children weren't all awake and either scared or laughing at me. Before falling asleep again questions plagued me..."Will it come on again?" "Who turned it on the first time?" "What's going on here?"

I also became aware that I had not experienced any pain during this workout. Adrenaline does wonders.

At the breakfast table a few hours later I questioned all the grandchildren about this incident. Thankfully only one had even heard it and they all assured me they had not set it to come on. The oldest of the four suggested perhaps there had been a power surge that triggered it and indeed there had been some flickering lights at bedtime.

Ah yes, modern technology. What would we do without electricity and all the modern gadgets we have become so blindly accustomed to using? Next time you use one of these modern day wonders, especially if it's frustrating you, be grateful for it all, and, perhaps ask a child to show you how to use it efficiently.

Half Way Around the World

Sometimes I curse modern technology, especially when I don't understand it, which seems to be a lot more often than I wish. At the moment I am in Edmonton looking after four grandchildren while their parents are in China picking up their new sibling.

The phone rings and when I answer it the line is dead. This has happened more than once so I think I'm doing something wrong and will have to ask the children to show me how to answer their telephone. Ridiculous! All these new telephones are different and claim to be very simple to use. Sometimes I long for the old fashioned telephone that you just picked up without having to push buttons.

On the other hand, I have discovered the amazing world of skype. We sit at the computer in Edmonton while my son and his wife are in China on their computer and we see each other clearly and talk to each other clearly. Wow! This is so amazing. And we are able to do this several times throughout the day. When we lived in Scotland 30+ years ago, we'd be fortunate to receive a hand written letter occasionally and telephone calls from family in Canada just a time or two a month.

Today I am very grateful for modern technology and will remember the day I met my newly adopted granddaughter the next time I feel like cursing all the gadgets and buttons that defy me.

See my new granddaughter www.theriegelfamily.blogspot.com