Community Chat

[tansy]

On 11/3/2014 Ford1224 said:

On 11/3/2014 tansy said:

How far does dropping out extend, Ford? To following the news as well? i've noticed my husband slowing down on wanting the newest electronic technology over the last few years. Both of us get cranky with our low-key cellphones:/

I still keep up with what's going on. I no longer care about politics as I used to and won't go into why because I don't want to change the tenor of this thread (or be booted off, LOL). I will always have opinions on current events and I may post them sometimes and sometimes not. I'm not going to turn my brain off, I'm just not interested in being the brightest bulb in the box anymore, I guess.

I had an old flip phone for years until last year when it died. My daughter then picked out a new cell phone for me that has a little keyboard on it. All I've ever done on a cell phone is use it for emergencies and text when I have to. I conduct phone conversations on my landline next to my bed, and I write emails when the text is longer than two lines.

I don't own anything that I have to "touch." I have my new (old) computer with Windows 7 on it and am happy as a lark. I hope it lasts forever.

I still have challenges ahead and have to try and preserve my energy for them. They all involve my kids, as usual.

Someone said it might be depression. I don't think so, but I won't argue it.

I know you have always kept up on current events, and I am usually on the same page as you. I do have a few friends that have turned more and more inwards with age.

As to the depression issue, you are self-aware enough to know if that's a debilitating issue for you

[DoneTryin]

On 11/3/2014 Ford1224 said:

Someone said it might be depression. I don't think so, but I won't argue it.

You're not depressed. You've just figured out what's worth spending your time on & what's not. Time is a precious commodity, so enjoy what you enjoy now & to heck with the rest of it!

[Surfnturf]

I'm 65, and feel myself inching in the direction of enough's enough. But I'm not quite there yet. I love texting, and enjoy FB. My FB page mainly consists of a newfeed and weather info, interpersed with posts and photos of close relatives. I do enjoy that. My favorite is Twitter. I follow some very smart people, and learn a lot about issues that interest me, both serious, and fun. I even signed up for the Cloud service offered by Apple, mostly as a way to ensure I don't lose certain things.

As far as technology goes, I think I've hit the ceiling for me. I recently downloaded an app called Elevate. I use it daily to excercise my brain. It's fun. I highly recommend it.

[DowntonAbbey]

Nice thread and I know that I am not tech savvy..........I just can't get it unless I have someone with me all the time showing me........I don't even have a microwave anymore and when I have to get a new car my son says ""MOM..........you will not be able to have windows that roll down""..........what? I don't want electric windows..........so funny I was doing something for a friend and a young child was in my car and I said sugar roll the window down for air and they said HOW? I don't see a button? LOL I had to teach them to roll down the window.

[LilacTree]

On 11/3/2014 RainCityGirl said:

You know, Ford, I had no idea you are 76. You appear to be a modern thinker in many ways and certainly youthful. However, at your age, you've earned the privilege of accepting or rejecting the world as it now exists. My dad was an innovative, inquisitive, lifelong learner. In his 70's he was teaching himself two different computer programming languages and was an avid member of H.A.M. radio with contacts all over the world. However, he got to the point where many things in the world no longer made sense to him, and he would get so disgruntled and upset over it. He died in 1995, long before 9/11, Monica Lewinsky, the Iraq/Afghanistan debacles, social media, multiple school shootings, etc. Thank God, he didn't have to witness those and many others. He would have been devastated.

My mom died at 49 from smoking. However, she was brilliant until she got sick. She predicted a lot of what's going on now (not the technology, but the social issues). She was an avid reader of history and saw it repeating itself in the future . . . as it is doing.

In some ways, your dad was lucky, wasn't he? I don't feel quite that way about my mom, because she was so young and should have had decades of life ahead of her. We didn't know that much about smoking until the 60s, and she died in 1967 while it was still being debated and denied by the tobacco companies.

[LilacTree]

On 11/3/2014 tansy said:

On 11/3/2014 Ford1224 said:

On 11/3/2014 tansy said:

How far does dropping out extend, Ford? To following the news as well? i've noticed my husband slowing down on wanting the newest electronic technology over the last few years. Both of us get cranky with our low-key cellphones:/

I still keep up with what's going on. I no longer care about politics as I used to and won't go into why because I don't want to change the tenor of this thread (or be booted off, LOL). I will always have opinions on current events and I may post them sometimes and sometimes not. I'm not going to turn my brain off, I'm just not interested in being the brightest bulb in the box anymore, I guess.

I had an old flip phone for years until last year when it died. My daughter then picked out a new cell phone for me that has a little keyboard on it. All I've ever done on a cell phone is use it for emergencies and text when I have to. I conduct phone conversations on my landline next to my bed, and I write emails when the text is longer than two lines.

I don't own anything that I have to "touch." I have my new (old) computer with Windows 7 on it and am happy as a lark. I hope it lasts forever.

I still have challenges ahead and have to try and preserve my energy for them. They all involve my kids, as usual.

Someone said it might be depression. I don't think so, but I won't argue it.

I know you have always kept up on current events, and I am usually on the same page as you. I do have a few friends that have turned more and more inwards with age.

As to the depression issue, you are self-aware enough to know if that's a debilitating issue for you

Yes, we float in the same boat many times, Tansy, and I am grateful for that.

I don't think I'm depressed, so thank you for negating that thought. I do believe there is a certain amount of exhaustion associated with all of this, more so than depression. I think I'm physically/mentally/emotionally just plain tired.

[LilacTree]

On 11/3/2014 Ilovehummingbirds said:

Nice thread and I know that I am not tech savvy..........I just can't get it unless I have someone with me all the time showing me........I don't even have a microwave anymore and when I have to get a new car my son says ""MOM..........you will not be able to have windows that roll down""..........what? I don't want electric windows..........so funny I was doing something for a friend and a young child was in my car and I said sugar roll the window down for air and they said HOW? I don't see a button? LOL I had to teach them to roll down the window.

That's adorable.

[qualitygal]

changed my mind

[Marienkaefer2]

Hi Ford! I just have to say that I don't think 76 is old. I know you have health challenges, and that surely affects your life. But generally I just find you to be a cool chick! Just like my mom, who is in your age group. My grandparents both passed in their mid nineties, and until the end (except for the last couple of months, due to.illness) were spunky and spry. So while I appreciate and understand the meaning in your post, I just want you to know....you're really still young. Imo, that comes from having close relationship with kids and grandkids. That's what my mom says, anyway.

[Preds]

I think my problem is that we have so much change at work all the time that I simply don't want to change at home. I want my comfort zone/routine to stay the same. My DD says I'm just lazy and she is probably right.