When at first it doesn’t work … sometimes we just have to call for help

FROM MY FRONT PORCH

When at first it doesn’t work … sometimes we just have to call for help

SAM HOUSTON

Sam Houston is the publisher of the Hood County News. He is also an actor, author, playwright, performer and entertainment producer/promoter.

As we age, certain tasks become more difficult to perform and certain problems become more difficult to diagnose.  Sometimes it is understandable. After all, people who are in their 80s or 90s are not part of the computer generation, and learning computer lingo and understanding modern electronics can be a rather daunting task. When something electronic is “on the fritz,” it only seems natural for an elderly person to seek assistance.

When I called my dear sweet Miss Jayne one afternoon this past week, I got an earful. She is 91 and I would match her mental acuity against most anybody of a similar age. At the same time, she does become frustrated when things don’t work properly, especially if they are electronic. When she answered the phone, she responded to my warm greeting with saying, “Oh Sam, this day has been hell.” Upon hearing the tone of her voice, and the obvious frustration and despair, I was thinking her bad knee  was hurting her and kept her from sleeping the night before. She must be in pain! When I asked what was wrong, I quickly learned I was mistaken.

“The TV is out in the living room. It is working in my bedroom, but not in the living room. I can’t lie in bed all day watching TV.  What am I going to do? I have been bored to death. I do not know who to call, what to do, or what the cable company might have done. Have you paid the bill? This is terrible!”

I immediately told her the bill had been paid, and it made no sense the TV in the living room would be out and the bedroom TV would be on, if the problem was with the cable system. As I made additional inquiry to have an accurate status, she responded that two different people from the assisted living center where she lives tried to make it work and they could not get the TV to come on either.

Being 75 miles away from Jayne and in the middle of the work week, it was impossible for me to simply jump in a car and go and try to rectify the problem. I got on the phone, reached out to the cable company and the soonest I could make an appointment for a diagnosis was for the following day. I relayed the information to Miss Jayne, and she was distraught. How could she survive an additional period with no living room TV? One would think the heavens above were falling.

I drove to see Miss Jayne the next day, arriving immediately after the repairman had made his appearance. The very first thing I asked was whether her TV was working. She nodded her head yes and then said, “Don’t make me tell you what was wrong.” I paused for a few moments. Knowing Jayne like I do, I knew she could not keep anything quiet for very long. “I am so embarrassed. There was nothing wrong with the cable. I had moved some knickknacks on the cabinet which holds the TV and when I did, I covered up the sensor which reads what the remote is telling the TV to do. There was nothing wrong at all. It was all my fault. I feel so foolish.”

I did my best to persuade my friend that her mistake was one anyone could make. She seemed to have her spirits lifted to know her transgression was not something limited to the acts of a 91-year-old woman. I proceeded to tell her that just that week I had to have someone in my office demonstrate to me how to use a piece of software that I have used a couple of hundred times previously. I simply could not remember what I needed to do to make the program do what I needed. She seemed to take comfort that all of us do silly things. We all make mistakes, and all have trouble adapting to new technologies and electronics.

I know things will eventually get even tougher for Jayne, and for me. It is part of the aging process, and simply a fact of life. Maybe the lesson to be learned is to accept our imperfections and laugh at our own silly mistakes. We all make them, no matter our age, and the sooner we can laugh at ourselves for our own transgressions, the better off we will be. Isn’t that why they put erasers on pencils?

Thought for the day: No matter how many mistakes you make or how slow your progress, you are still way ahead of those who are not even trying.

Until next time

sam@hcnews.com | 817-573-7066, ext. 260