Learning New Things

I sat down in front of the computer and looked at the keyboard, then the monitor screen and finally, at the tower itself. I had worked as a typist of some sort for many years and had used various business machines including manual and electric typewriters, “mag cards” and such, so the keyboard itself was very familiar. This was something new to me in that there was no way I could see how to start typing. The power was obviously on, but the screen was black, not a blank page. Of course, I wondered how to get started.

Back in my day (never thought I would ever use that phrase), a person had to insert a blank piece of 8 ½” x 11” or 8 ½” x 14” (legal size) paper into the typewriter before they could start to type.

My husband had purchased this computer for the family several years before and he and my children were trying to teach me how to actually use it so they could help me update my skills. Of course, this was after much coaxing and me making statements along the lines of why do I need a computer, I have a perfectly fine typewriter and I can keep in touch with my friends and family the old school way by writing letters and making phone calls. Fortunately, they didn’t listen to my protests and now they almost can’t drag me off the thing.

I love staying in touch with my friends and family on the most popular social networking site out there as well as watching news videos to keep me current on what’s happening around the world. Don’t get me wrong, there is still so much to be learned and you can sometimes hear me verbalizing negative comments when things go wrong. However, learning new things gets us out of our comfort zones and keeps our minds active and alert. We can also acquire new sets of job skills and learn ways to streamline processes.

Here’s the main point to my story. How does a person know how to begin, let alone complete a new task unless someone shows them? You have probably already guessed how this story will end. First, you lightly tap a key, any key, as long as it’s a letter.