Sticking with it -- it's the hardest thing. So, I found a teacher.
Eli is my computer guru and I have a computer lesson once a week.
Eli knows everything about computers and all things electronic.
Eli calls me: "mah dahlin"... and gives me lots of homework... which he then checks without fail.
Eli bills me by the hour on beautifully designed paper; he is super efficient and wastes no time.
Eli is 15-years-old.
The problem is: I'm 70 and waste a lot of time.
Eli's fingers fly all over the key board in a blurr -- I'm all thumbs.
I never seem to get my homework done on time. I invent serious sounding excuses such as:
"I had to cook; the garden needed weeding; my friend wanted to swim laps; there was a board meeting or my husband needed attention."
Eli looks at me and I can't quite tell whether he believes me or is totally exasperated and plans to give me an F. I'm a bad student all over again.
In spite of all that, Eli never rolls his eyes or raps my knuckles. So, I click away. Eli has a winning way of teaching and is infinitely patient -he quietly waits and watches as I wade my way through my notebook trying to find last week's notes. I fumble and feel ashamed not to have a better system. I forget everything from one week to the next.
It's hard to click and drag forefingers all over the pad, let alone remember that two fingers or three will bring wildly different results. Terrifying and unexpected things always happen to me -- all is lost -- the screen goes blank.
"So now what... ?" I ask, getting hot prickly hair roots.
Long silence.
"We did this before...slow down... let's think!" Eli whispers.
"Yeah...let's think," I blush, I cringe.
I can't think when it comes to computers -- my Mac has a mind of its own, and we are not often in synch.
How is it that Eli tells ME where to find the pictures of ME on the beach during that hurricane -- I mean really, how can HE remember where I filed those pictures weeks ago?
I am a Luddite, not cut out for all this drag and click business -- still, I won't give up, hard or not, I'll stick with it -- because I'm the teacher's pet -- that's not hard, I'm the only person in his class!