Concrete Thinking

I have realized that over time, we are losing our ability to think on our own. Years ago if you had a problem you would solve it by yourself. You would sit down and reason the ways of doing something. Sometimes it was trial and error,  but eventually you got the answer. Nowadays, we rely on an electronic device. When we started searching, we stopped thinking. We use calculators to do our math and You Tube to teach us most other things. My generation seems to be the last one who exercised our brains.

Happy Birthday Daddy

Today is my father's 92nd birthday. He still drives and can outthink most of us. Other than walking a bit slower, he still does everything he did at 40. He still walks hand in hand with my mother. He just had the pleasure of welcoming his fourth great grandchild into the world. He will meet him for the first time this weekend. When I need advice, he gives me sensible options. When things break, he always has a way of fixing them even when they seem unfixable. He is still the patriarch of the family. This year I celebrated his birthday twice. Once in New England and once at home. Happy birthday daddy. We love you!

New Math

The other day I went to the store to buy paper towels and toilet paper. It used to be a no brainer. One roll equaled one roll. I went into Walmart and looked for Bounty paper towels. There was a six pack with the writing 6=11. It was $8.89. I went next door to Stop and Shop and they also had Bounty. There were eight rolls and the pack said 8=12 for $8.99. The toilet paper was either 6=24 or 8=48. In order to find the best price, I would have to get out my calculator and look for the number of sheets, multiply it by the number of rolls and divide by the price. Why are the manufacturer's making a simple purchase so complicated? I want to buy one roll and pay for one roll. Don't make me do extra work.

Early Arrival

He is here! A beautiful baby boy. He arrived eleven days early. He couldn't wait to meet his family. There is an old saying "Man plans and G-d laughs". No one expected the baby this early. We thought at least another week. We had a birthday party for my father planned for today. It was going to be at my nephew's house. Instead it will be at my house with a different, but equally as wonderful, guest list. The baby's father always says that instead of always planning, sometimes you just need to see where the day takes you. We use that quote a lot. My sister did not think she would be in New Jersey this morning. My niece did not think she would be holding her son this morning. I did not think that I would be hosting a party today. We waited to see where the day took us and it took us to a wonderful place.

Mini Tech

When I was two years old, I knew what a two year old should do. I ate, slept and went to the bathroom in my diaper. That was all that was expected of me. I did not know how to turn things off or on. I did not know anything about electronics. I was not yet up to Lincoln Logs or erector sets. That was too complicated. I was a toddler doing what a 1950's toddler did. Act cute and behave. Now it is a different story. When I visited my granddaughter last week we asked her to dance for us. When I was little that meant jump up and down while the adults clapped their hands. She was excited to show us how she danced. Her dad brought out the computer and played a song from a music app. When the song was over, my little two year old went to the computer, stood on her tip toes and scrolled through the music menu. She then double clicked and the next song came on. I couldn't believe my eyes. At two years old she was doing technology that I did not learn until I was 50 years old. Even then I had to concentrate on learning. Two is the new fifty.

The Road Less Traveled

I was on my way to work yesterday when my phone rang. My father was calling telling me that my mother was not feeling well. She had not been herself since taking the flu shot. Since he had to go to dialysis, he was afraid to leave her home alone in bed. He was going to cancel his dialysis appointment. That is not really an option. He sounded upset so I said I would come right down. I switched parkways and instead of heading north, I was now heading south. When I arrived, I assessed the situation. Nothing seemed really wrong. She was tired and he was scared. I sent him off to his appointment and took a strict tone with her. I got her up, fed, dressed and outside to sit on the porch to get fresh air. I gave her a pedicure and we gossiped like school girls. I made her a hot breakfast and lunch and prepared another hot lunch for my father when he arrived home. All in all it was a very pleasant day. The only down side was that I was supposed to be at work. This morning, on my day off, I am heading to work to do what needed to be done yesterday. No rest for the weary.

Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes

There is a kids song titled, "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes". Children learn it in nursery school. It is supposed to teach them body parts. Parents love to watch the kids point to each body part as they learn. I remember watching my children and now my grandchildren. Now, years later, the song has a new meaning. Senior citizens discuss their health using the same phrases. I have friends who have HEAD aches, SHOULDERS replaced, KNEES replaced and arthritis in their TOES. Life has come full circle.