SHOULD YOU CALL, EMAIL OR TEXT?

For the first few decades of my life, the only means of remote communication with another person was by telephone or snail mail. As a teen, I spent hours talking on the phone with boyfriends and girlfriends. What about? With the girls, it was usually about boys. With the boys, a lot of gossip and complaining about parents. When we left town for college or work, we wrote letters. It was sometimes difficult writing a letter in cursive, but a joy to receive. However, both of those options for connecting with others are almost obsolete. First, email replaced phone calls, and now texting has replaced e mail. Consequently, the choices are complicated for seniors. Should you call call, email or text family , friends, and business people?

Most people my age refuse to text. My husband says arthritis makes texting impossible, but I suspect he wouldn’t do it anyway. When you ask a person why they dislike phone calls, they’re liable to admit it’s because they consider themselves introverts. I can understand that. I used to experience social anxiety when talking on the phone to a new boyfriend or girlfriend. Or, as a suburban housewife, calling someone and asking them to dinner. What if I couldn’t think what to say, or they didn’t seem friendly? Sometimes, my voice sounded too high or low to my own ears. If only I’d had the luxury of choice.

I chose e mail as soon as I learned to use a computer. Didn’t have to worry about sounding awkward or strained. Could go back over my e mail before hitting send. It’s still a pretty smooth way to connect if you really have something to ask, or explain. And you aren’t bothering people with a phone call at a busy time. Trouble is, people started getting so much spam email that they missed reading personal e mails. Most people under 60 now seem to prefer texting. I resisted it for years. And then, one day, the whole texting thing kicked into my psyche.

Texting is cool. I love sending and receiving pictures that I don’t want to put out on Facebook. With the pic collage app, I can send pretty, personal greeting cards. The uses are endless. You don’t have to make awkward conversation, or spend precious time composing e mails. If you’re a senior who thinks texting is too complicated, you will find that it simplifies your life. And helps extroverts keep in touch with introverts who don’t like talking on the telephone.

September 24, 2021September 24, 2021

SENIORS MUST TEXT OR BECOME EXTINCT

I don’t know about you, but I resisted texting for a long time. It seemed to me that a phone call– carrying on a conversation with a real person– was preferable. I remember hours spent on the phone with boy friends and girlfriends during high school. In college, we wrote each other long letters to express our feelings during summer vacations. Nothing was more exciting than to receive a handwritten letter from a special boyfriend or girlfriend. But now, no one likes to talk on the telephone or write letters, unless they’re over eighty. Seniors must text or become extinct.

What happened to e mail? It was so much easier than texting, and you could easily provide more detailed information. But here’s what’s happened. E mail has become a garbage bin for spam. I probably get 100 a day. To “unsubscribe” is a hassle, and doesn’t always work. Consequently, If someone sends me an important personal email, I’m liable to miss it altogether because it gets lost in a sea of unwanted emails.

Talking on the phone has pretty much gone out of style, except maybe with close relatives. And even my kids are often too busy to answer a phone call. On the other hand, some people ignore their texts. My problem is not that I ignore them, I simply don’t always realize I’ve received one. Why? Because my smartphone isn’t always in my back pocket. It might be upstairs, or left out in my car.

The best thing about texting is the ability to send instant pictures. But even those put an onus on the recipient. You’re expected to reply instantly to a picture of a cat or kid or rose bush. Sometimes it’s hard to think of an appropriate response. Expressions like cute, great, awesome, funny, etc. are fairly trite. But at least the person has the satisfaction of knowing that you received their photo.

Texting has even invaded social events like fund raisers. I attended a benefit the other day, and you didn’t physically bid on the silent auction items. In fact, you didn’t even have to see them. We were asked to take a seat, turn to a link on our phones, and then see pictures of the items for sale. Then, there was some mechanism where you put in your bid over the phone. Way too High Tech for me. And truthfully, the auction items didn’t look all that appealing when you couldn’t see the real thing.

A lot of people think seniors don’t know how to text. However, according to the people who track that kind of thing, 85% of us can. We just don’t necessarily like it, especially if we have arthritic fingers or poor eyesight. But if we refuse to text, we’ll soon be out of the loop. Seniors must text or become extinct.

May 7, 2021May 7, 2021

OLD DOG LEARNED 10 NEW TRICKS

No one can predict how much time we’ll spend on this earth, but there’s a general perception that everything goes downhill after 80 years. In some ways, that’s true in regard to physical capabilities. There’s arthritis, high blood pressure, and all those other physical conditions that the elderly must cope with. However, this old dog learned 10 new tricks after her 80^th birthday. Since that milestone, I have learned to:

1. Start a blog. This was like learning a whole new language. I could never have done it without the generous help of younger folks at Ivy Tech Community College and the Vigo County Public Library.

2. Make a smooth omelet. My omelets were always lumpy and falling apart. Finally, I went on You Tube and learned the secret is using a blender to whip up the eggs before pouring them on the skillet

Old Dogs Learn 10 New Tricks. You can learn to play Mahjong after 80 — Old Dogs Learn 10 New Tricks. You can play Mahjong at any age.

3. Play Mahjong. I was a bridge player since college. Years ago, I attempted to play Mahjong, but soon gave up, as it seemed too complicated. And then, three years ago, I was lucky enough to find the right teacher. I still enjoy bridge, but Mahjong is just as challenging, without the pressure of pleasing a partner. And you can play online!

4. Navigate Netflix. We started sending for Netflix CD’s several years ago. But when the pandemic hit, we kept hearing about all the Netflix series that could be streamed . It seemed way too complicated, but a Netflix customer service person walked me through all the details. Binging on a Netflix series like Bridgerton helped us through the long winter of Covid-19 isolation.. We’ll be watching less TV this spring, but I’m so glad I learned how to stream.

5. Rebloom an amaryllis bulb. Three years ago, my husband ordered a pot of amaryllis just in time for Christmas. I had never seen anything so miraculously blooming in the winter. After reading the instructions, saved the bulbs, and repotted them the next winter. It was exciting to see the leaves shooting up slowly, and 6 weeks later when the flowers bloomed again. Now I’m hooked. My basement has nearly a dozen bulbs hibernating until next winter.

6. Stop a nosebleed. My husband is prone to them because he’s on blood thinners. Usually, we called the doctor if it happened. But during the pandemic, we didn’t want to sit in a doctor’s office with other patients. We got online and found this advice: : Have the patient lean forward, not back. Take a cotton ball and soak it in liquid nasal decongestant. Put the cotton up the nostril that’s bleeding. If you have a nose pincher, use that. Otherwise, pinch with your fingers. Within 15 minutes, the bleeding has usually stopped.

Other new skills acquired were: 7) Online banking: transferring money and paying bills via the internet, 8) Practicing daily meditation using the Calm app. 9) Texting messages and sending photos on my cell phone 10) Completing jig saw puzzles.

If you dread turning 80, or have already reached that milestone, just remember: It’s never too late for old dogs to learn new tricks.

February 10, 2021February 10, 2021

ARE FACEBOOK & E MAIL OBSOLETE?

Remember the first time you sent an e mail? It was so exciting to write to a friend or relative via the internet. No more sitting down with cramped fingers to write a real letter. No purchase of stationary and stamps, or trips to the mailbox. It was just as exciting to receive an e-mail. And then there was Facebook. For some, it became the ultimate form of braggadocio. Look at my wonderful life! But for most of us, it was a fun way to share photos through cyberspace with family and friends. But have you noticed what’s happening lately? Are Facebook & E Mail becoming obsolete?

While I used to look forward to opening my e mail, now I dread it. Usually, I have at least 50 e mails from people trying to sell me something. And then there are the political e mails. For some reason, both the Democrats and Republicans think I might be interested in their causes. Maybe it’s because of my blog. I’m apt to criticize or comment on any male or female politician, regardless of their party. But if I criticize a Democrat, the Republicans think I may want to contribute to their campaign, and vice versa. They’re both wasting their time, because I won’t send money over the net to any political candidate.

Why do I keep my e mail account active? Because for some family and friends, my old e mail address is the only way they know to contact me. Especially if we haven’t kept in touch. And there are times when you need it for changing passwords and doing other business.

Most people in my social network seldom use e mail. They text. I used to resist texting because it’s difficult to use cell phone keypads with arthritic fingers. But there’s no longer a choice. If you can’t text, you’re out of the loop. Pictures, too, are much easier to send with messaging.

For the past few years, Facebook posts have become annoyingly political. I like seeing photos of your kids and the rosebush in your yard, but I do not want to read your rants and raves about Trump, Biden, or any politician. Don’t you think I have sense enough to form my own opinions at this age? There’s one group I belong to which has posts about growing up in my city. These are what I would term neutral. No one can get mad about seeing an old school building or skating rink. But generally speaking, fewer and fewer people are active on Facebook. And those who are, post less frequently. .

Most people in my social network seldom use e mail. They text. I used to resist texting because it’s difficult to use cell phone keypads with arthritic fingers. But there’s no longer a choice. If you can’t text, you’re out of the loop. Pictures, too, are much easier to send with messaging.

Are Facebook and E mail obsolete? Not quite, but they’re fading fast.