Ten Things of Thankful: Live from Oregon, part 2

stock photo of old computer monitor

When I was 10 or 11, I remember sitting next to my dad in our living room and reading computer code to him as he entered it into an Apple computer. We would finish the exercise and he would hit enter (or was it "run"?) and wait expectantly for the green type to appear on the screen. If we were lucky, the whole conversation would occur. Most often, there would be an error either in my dictation of the code, or in the typing of the code. We would then go painstakingly back through the lines, character by character, to find and correct the error. After what seemed like hours (and might have been), we would succeed and the computer would finally run the entire program. It was magical!

My dad designed and built an earth-sheltered, passive solar home decades before solar panels were commonplace. He also was on a 9-month waiting list for a Prius, when hybrids were not seen on every street. 

While my dad is definitely on the cutting edge of technological offerings, he's also somewhat selective in which technologies he embraces. For example, my parents got rid of our television when I was a child, and didn't get another one until all of us kids were grown and out of the house. And up until this week, my dad didn't own a cell phone. Now he is busy learning how to make a call, text, and ask Siri for directions.

1. I'm thankful to be able to help with getting the phone set up. 

2. I'm thankful for my high school speech and debate coach. She taught her students to separate issues from people and to look at issues logically. Those are good lessons that translate well into real life. Occasionally, though, I find myself in a situation where I get the same intellectual rush of being in a debate tournament. Such was the case this week while I was on the phone with a customer service representative from Mint Mobile. He was trying to tell me that because my dad wasn't bringing a number from another carrier, he couldn't activate the phone for him--even though my dad bought the phone from Mint. I said, "That doesn't make any sense. You mean that in order to use Mint Mobile, you must first use another carrier?" He did not have an answer for that. Not surprisingly, when I asked to speak with a supervisor, he told me that no supervisors were available. Also not surprisingly, he didn't even ask me to stay on the line for a brief survey survey rating his performance. I hung up and tried again. It did take two more calls to get everything straightened out, but eventually I succeeded. I hope the first customer service representative quickly figures out how to help individuals who aren't transferring a number from another provider. Surely my dad isn't the only one in the world who is in the market for their first phone/phone number.

3. I'm thankful for blue birds. They are so pretty, even if a bit stupid. One bird here keeps trying, persistently, to fly into windows here at my parents' house. Fortunately, he isn't barreling into the windows at full-speed, so I think he is avoiding concussions. 

4. I'm thankful for the beautiful dogwood trees that are blooming all around. 

5. I'm thankful for my mom's surgeon, who was able to repair her wrist, and even called to check on her the next day.

6. I'm thankful for the nurses who took care of my mom with professionalism and kindness.

7. I'm thankful for my mom's friends, who have stopped by with meals, flowers, willing hands, and friendly visits.

8. I'm thankful for my dad, who has picked up many tasks that previously have been done by my mom.

9. I'm thankful for laughter. Sometimes laughter really is the best medicine.

10. I'm thankful for John. 

What are you thankful for today? Be sure to visit the other bloggers who are linking up this week, and feel free to join us!

                                                                                 

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