Today I am thankful for things that sometimes irritate me in the short term. I'm talking about technology. There is a point in life where one becomes pretty proficient at what it takes to live.
Then technology comes along and changes the rules!
Today I'm thankful for having to learn new technology to navigate the world in terms of exchange of services and good.
Little things that have bugged me: changing the way we pay for parking meters, or pay bills online, or even donate to our favorite charities. It takes some learning, and sometimes you just feel (once you've reached that point in life) that you just don't have the bandwidth to learn this new thing.
Then once you learn it, it becomes "no big deal". Cell phones and tablets and swiping and pinching and touch screens and drive-through "everything"... all of them have replaced "the way it was" when I was a kid and even a young adult. Amazing!
Life is good. Keep Sparking!
I very much get that. I add stuff that makes life easier but if the app is more work than writing it down myself, I let it be. Still a lot has become 'no big deal' Well said!
ReplyDeleteI sometimes resist for a while, then after I've learned "the new way" wonder why I did.
DeleteI agree w/you to a point. I do find it convenient to pay bills on-line. But some now are charging $3-4/mth for transactions paid for on-line! OH well. Those 2 bills I pay in person as they’re close by where I shop anyway so no big deal. Otherwise, it’s a convenience to pay on-line.
ReplyDeletebarb
1cd
If they are charging that much for "convenience" it might cease to be convenient!
DeleteWhere I pay bills online (NE Montana for the most part), if they can sweep from your bank account (ACH), there isn't a charge, but if you pay with a credit/debit card there is. I presume that is because they are hit with a fee for accepting a credit/debit card. Where I work, our fees we pay to the credit card processor runs about 2.5%, so $3 to $4 might actually be a bargain depending on the size of the bill.
DeleteI agree!
ReplyDelete😁
DeleteI am thankful I can still pay with a check and a stamped envelope.
ReplyDeleteI'm very thankful that my job (teaching) required increasing levels of computer/tech skills through the years. When I started, attendance was taken on a 'scantron' ('memba those???) and when I retired it was on the computer. Same with grades. And lesson plans. The last couple of years I used an online system so that absent students could go online to retrieve in-class and homework information and any needed paperwork to go with it...amazing.
ReplyDeleteMy smartphone/computer upgrades and glitches take some real work, but youtube rarely fails me. My children (40) know if I ask for help I've exhausted every resource ... they always offer to help, but my policy is only if I've tried all else so I don't feel like I'm bugging. When I go for medical appointments or to the online patient portal for my hmo I'm so grateful that I'm able to use them. I feel badly when I see others struggling, and employees in those places helping as best they can amidst all the other stuff they're doing at once. I help when I can, but don't like to be too pushy...
That's a great perspective! It's easy to get frustrated with technology when it feels like it's constantly changing, but it's important to remember that it can also bring a lot of convenience and efficiency into our lives. It's inspiring to hear you embrace the learning process and see the positive side of adapting to these changes. Sometimes, the most challenging things can also be the most rewarding.
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful day! (((BIG HUGS)))