CHANGE

Change. It does not matter how you feel about it. It will come like it or not. Not all change is good change and seniors, probably more then most, decry the loss of what change has brought.

The be certain, no one misses cooking on a wood stove, having an ice box kept cold with real ice, or a wringer washing machine or scrub board. But some technological changes bring some lose. Take the phone. Not literally mind you. I’ll keep mine. No doubt a younger generation loves all the gizmos on the new phones, but most of my generation wants to know why you cannot buy a phone that just makes and receives calls. I just up upgraded to a more economical cell phone plan. Of course, I could not keep the phone I hand and finally understood with my old plan. I was sent a new one. The only alphabetical and numerical identification on the phone is the brand and the keys. AND THERE ARE NO DIRECTIONS FOR ANY OF THE OTHER FUNCTIONS I USE!!!! OK, I’m upset. There were instructions for texting, web browsing, and other features I don't care about. There is nothing to help me put names and numbers in the memory (which by the way is different than my previous phone). I still can’t find the volume control. Are they trying to make me feel stupid? There are certain new features about phones beat the old crank box party line where you had to go through Ethel (whom you knew personally) to reach another person. I’m glad there is no Ethel to pass along family news. I like the ability to save names and numbers. I like that the phone collects messages from calls I missed. I like knowing who is calling. And I really like that I can actually talk to people in other places. Why would I ever want to text when I can talk or leave a message? That’s just me.

I’m sure these other features are nice, but most seniors do not want to pay extra for these advances that we do not want. I cannot afford what they charge for texting. I cannot afford the web on my phone. Everything is extra. Since they can make these marvelously creative machines, why can’t they leave those things off and make a basic phone for the technologically illiterate? The hard part is the phone I just purchased specializes in phones for members of AARP. Help! We don’t want all the extras!

We had our day of keeping up with the Jones. Then you reach and age when you no longer even know the Jones, let alone keep up. We do not resent the toys of the day. We had ours. We just don’t want them any more.

Do you have any idea how much change most of us have already seen? Several of us grew up still using a horse and buggy for transportation or maybe a Model A. There were no free ways and if you planned a long trip you better know how to fix the car over those cross country dirt roads. Most people did. Many started on the farm. They know how to work hard. We did not begin our young adult life with all the toys; we earned them along the way, adjusted to them and appreciated them. We have had to adjust to more change then you can imagine right now. However, we know you will face even more change in your lifetime than we can imagine or ever faced. If our grand kids are shocked at what we didn’t have as a kid, wait till yours come along. Our lives will have looked easy in change adjustment to what yours will be. Brace yourself. You are about to spend an absolute fortune upgrading and getting the latest, newest and best of whatever great invention comes along.

If you do not now hate built in obsolescence, you will. If you do not hate a minor upgrade causing everything related to that item having to also be upgraded, you will. If you don’t hate younger generations being shocked that you don’t have, can’t work, have no interest in — you name it because you will come to point where you just say — let me be.

We have appreciated every advance we purchased along the way. But we are tired of learning all these new things and even more tired of paying for them all. However, I do like my microwave.