I have a rough idea of my blog’s target audience. First and foremost, folks who have given me feedback in person, by email, or by the occasional online comments all seem to have a curious spirit. The unfamiliar draws them nearer. An acquaintance described my Blog as eclectic and quirky.

Such a wise and thoughtful person, I thought. They were exactly right.

With this opening gambit, I will write about coping with change in a very personal and narrowly focused way. In 20 short and very quickly passing years, I’ll be past my mid-90s in years on this earth.

I think my little learning can apply to those much younger.

Here’s why.

When I was younger, change was much slower. Car models changed every year, but the weather was more predictable. Inventions arrived slowly. Plastic was still in its infancy. I sat in the dentist’s chair, and the water spit basis was beside me with a constant water flow. The cabling to turn the drill was not hidden in the arm of the dentist’s machine. Most of my friends heated their homes with coal from bags stored in the basement coal bins.

The first floppy discs, measured several inches on a side, held a few megabytes of data. The iPhone came out with much fanfare. I couldn’t have predicted the ‘pro max’ magic I now carry in my pocket just 15 years later.

I think each generation minimizes the changes it will need to cope with until reality sweeps them aside. Many saw the transition from horses to tractors as a passing phase. Airplanes were a novelty ride. I remember my father telling me about rushing across the field to see an airplane landing, with the pilot offering quick sightseeing rides.

So, in the spirit of the only constant in life being an ever-increasing rate of change, I now tell you about my little effort to prepare for my future.

I committed to being digitally competent seven years ago when I was “Movin’ On” from paid employment. I pledged to navigate my way through technology and focus on what would improve my life. That continues to be my focus.

I assume that at some future time, I will not have a driver’s licence. Hopefully, it will come in stages, giving me time to adjust: Only daytime driving, only driving locally on familiar roads, no bad weather driving – all before I have an accident.

So, I am in training for that day. I will need to shift from driving myself to taking public transportation. Driverless cars are still in their infancy or will be too expensive.

I opened my public transit app to figure out my routing to my eye appointment to plan for my cataract surgery. I did this a few days ahead because I wasn’t confident that I could figure this out. Unfortunately, it was a Sunday afternoon, and I was leaving on Monday. The bus schedules would be very different on those two days. A small text on the screen said, ‘Leave now.’ I wasn’t, but there were no indications of more options. After some playing around, I tapped on the ‘Leave now.’ Lo and behold one of three options was ‘Arrive by.’ That’s just what I needed, and I was off to the races.

Many of the younger generations would accept that the technology would have the option I couldn’t initially find. And they would be fearless in tapping around until they found it. And if it weren’t there, they’d let the app developers know!

A postscript before the end of my Blog…

I took a break from finishing the Blog to go to my local convenience store. I selected the locker system for the delivery of an item. My phone alerted me that the package was waiting for me. I chose the locker method partly to reduce the porch pirate thieves and because it was unfamiliar, while also likely to be useful to me in the future.

As instructed by my app, I stood before the bank of lockers and pressed ‘get package.’ A locker door swung open before I could look up, and there was my package.

Now, if only Canada Post could introduce the technology of letting me know I have mail and opening my mailbox door with a tap of my phone.

Please give this a bit of a think. What technologies do you find most useful in your daily life? Think, noooooooo, please don’t take that away from me. Also, what problem would you like to see technology solve for you in your everyday life?

I am curious about your thoughts. Please comment below with your bit of a think.

Photo by Joel Dunn on Unsplash

If you enjoyed The Blog, please share it with others. Thanks.

And my thanks to St. Albert’s 50+ Activity Centre for making this Blog possible.

Volunteer Blogger

glenn.walmsley@icloud.com