Launched

 

Grandma Wellumson made concessions throughout her life, first adapting from horse-drawn wagons to cars when they moved to Minneapolis. She was loath to give up her old carpet sweeper when her children proudly gifted her an electric vacuum cleaner, but she did. No more carpet beating. She even adjusted to television—a leap from gathering around the Zenith console radio. Thank goodness she never succumbed to Pillsbury refrigerated sweet rolls, which never came close to her Saturday cinnamon rolls. Some things shouldn’t change.

I, too, am being launched into the future, sometimes kicking. I still carry a checkbook, and my son scoffs at me for clinging to my computer printer.

On a recent trip to New York and Washington, DC, Jerry and I were stumped by the airport iPads, so he marched up to the bar to order in person. Instead of taking his money and handing over a few beers, the bartender used Jerry’s phone to place the order. We knew traveler’s checks were a thing of the past, but who knew cash would be as well? And that was just the beginning.

I went to the Eugene O’Neill theater site to buy tickets, and they routed me to an app (Seat Geek). I made my purchase, but it took forever to figure out how to access the little QR codes to get us into the play. Incidentally, The Book of Mormon was fantastic.

After struggling with the New York Subway ticket machine (somewhat successfully), a kind person informed us that we could simply swipe a credit card on the gate as we entered. Who knew?

I spent hours pulling up New York subway maps on my computer and comparing them to the google map on my phone, constantly nervous about our next connection. What a fool!

It wasn’t until we got to DC that I discovered Google Maps would plan not only our route, but would lay out each step on public transport, whether busses or metro (or a combination of the two). My goodness! It’s so EASY!!! I doubt young people will ever have to learn how to read a map. Google will pilot them through life.

Want to get into the Holocaust Museum? Book a time slot online and pull up the bar code on your phone to enter. Attending a concert at the Kennedy Center? Use your QR reader to get the program, including the lyrics for every song—on your phone, of course. Want to pay for parking at a meter? Just pull up the app and swipe the meter with your phone. What next? I started carrying a portable battery charger in case my phone wore out from all that work.

Jerry is a reluctant iPhone user and consequently got lost twice in DC. I gave him a refresher on Google maps, and he did better. We’ve both learned that smart phones are a necessity, at least in NYC and DC—“an umbilical cord to the city,” as Jerry puts it.

Like Grandma Wellumson, I’m adapting, though I must admit, I’m relieved to be back where I can use a checkbook and forget where I left my iPhone.