Please God, Not the Computer!

My computer began to do some very strange and unfamiliar things tonight. I was just about to shut it down when all of these windows began popping up, one right after the other. Before I could utter the words, “what the…” there were over a dozen strange boxes on my screen and more popping up every second. I told my roommate what was happening and the look on her face sent shivers down my spine. She looked at my screen, looked at me, and grimaced. I tentatively asked, “Is my computer dying?” while I dug my fingertips into my eyebrows, my outward manifestation of worry.



Within those few seconds while Su explained to me that this was exactly what her computer had done only a few days earlier when hers had crashed with no chance of recovering a single document, song, picture, or program, I imagined my entire world crashing down around me. No pun intended. What would happen to all my writing? What would I do without year’s worth of pictures? How would I sync my ipod with new songs? Worst of all, how would I update my Facebook status without my faithful companion: Mr. Computer? It was at this moment that I promised, as God is my witness, I will give my friend the computer a proper name if he makes it through. It was also in this moment that I realized my computer is male. Who knew? I’ll take suggestions but right now I’m thinking something that incorporates all of the things I love about having a computer like: Wordgoogfaceblog or iTunmapquestube or Online Banking. Like I said, I’m open to suggestions.



As I sat there, stunned into silence waiting to see the inevitable smoke that was sure to issue from the keys at any moment, the life of my computer flashed before my eyes. In just two short years I have saved, synced, downloaded, burned, and catalogued my life into this relatively small device. It’s all in there. All of me. And I have no external hard-drive. No form of back-up that has been so wisely suggested to me over the years. I have one measly memory stick with selected items which, when compared to my anatomy, would contain about half an arms worth of information…or one buttcheek if I wanted to make you laugh. My entity or essence or whatever was about to combust in an explosion of lettered keys, computer chips, and glass. I imagined the “delete” button hitting me in the forehead just to be ironic. All seemed lost and life no longer had purpose.



When I awoke from semi-consciousness I listened to Su’s cousin, Lizette (visiting from South Africa before moving on to Canada – check out her tale of adventure at Cape to Canada), who told me to push the power button until it turned off, pray, and turn it back on. I did as I was told, hoping God would have mercy on me in my time of need.



This was it. The moment where I discover whether life goes on or ceases to be forever. I pushed that thin silver bar, watched the blue light turn on, and waited….everything was fine. My computer started without a hitch and now I have an anti-virus program and a new lease on life. This is probably the part where you assume I’ll go on and on about how we shouldn’t consider our online profiles to sum us up as people. Or how our lives cannot be contained within a laptop and we would all be happier without these technological nuisances. Or how this type of loss is really nothing when compared to real, deep, and serious loss people encounter every day. But I’m not going to. I’m just happy my computer is healed! Otherwise, I wouldn’t have any of you…whoever you are.

I propose a toast: to Mr. Computer, soon to be referred to as something much more awesome, Cheers!

-Age

Come What May

We all, or at least the majority of us, have those special people in our lives that we are drawn to, who make us feel the most like ourselves when we are near them. No matter what is going on in our lives, simply being in their presence calms us and we feel at home. This may be family for some, friends for others but for those of us lucky enough to have a close bond with another human being, these people are irreplaceable and incredibly important. What would we do without them? Whither away probably.

Relationships are one of life’s most important aspects, I would argue that they are the most important part of living. How long would Robinson Crusoe have survived without the companionship and company of Friday? That novel is actually a perfect example of how important relationships are and what we should be willing to sacrifice for them. Crusoe would have given his life for his friend. As it should be.

Through the good times, our relationships are easy, fun, and relatively uneventful. Through the tough times, however, relationships are given the opportunity to grow. Just as God tells us throughout the Bible that trials and suffering are an important part of growing closer to Him, the same is true of us mortals here on earth. We cling to those we know will help us, encourage us, and keep our feet on firm ground and our relationships blossom as a result. We come out of the difficult period in our lives with an abundance that often overwhelms.

We don’t need wise words or long speeches about life-lessons, we just need ears to listen, hands to hold, and shoulders to rest our weary heads. And we need laughter. The kind of laughter that reminds us that life is still good even when it’s not. Like many, I’m the most at home when I’m laughing with those I’m closest to, feeling truly safe. Like the wise Dolly Parton once said, “Laughter through tears is my favorite emotion.”

Every time I feel like I need something to make me feel better or more important, whether it be a new pair of shoes or a Masters Degree, I have to remind myself that those things are, ultimately, not important. Not to say that we shouldn’t buy new things or further our education but we should not stake our identity or self-worth on “things of this world.” What matters is our connection to others. I often write about passion but it’s important to remember that the passion we feel towards people takes precedence over all others. Even passion for people we’ve never met but feel empathy for as we recognize we are not the only ones who suffer…or smile.

-Age