Computerized
Family
Passions!
By Michelle Pitman
I'm talking about those
little obsessive things we do that nobody else in the family understands!
Those hobbies and interests in life that take us out of the real
world and into a unique realm beyond distraction and pragmatic
awareness. Like the painter who becomes so focussed on his current
work that he cannot hear a phone ring or music play, we all have
something we love to do so much, we tune out everything else.
For some it's a craft, for others it's a book, for me it's the
computer!
I cannot now imagine life
without this contraption. I spent years computer-less and ignorant
of its many attributes. I nursed my babies without online "support"
forums. When my husband and I disagreed over something, I didn't
pour out my troubles on the boards. I shopped locally and banked
at the branch, down the street whereas now I can choose to shop
and pay bills online. We conducted our business on paper, copious
amounts of paper, but now I just click the wages or invoices through.
Today, our business is done with electronic software rather than
pre-printed forms from the local stationer.
I wrote copious amounts
into journals and diaries with a pen but now it is the keyboard
that thrills me. I sought my information from the local library
but now I wonder how I did without a Google toolbar*. I used to
keep recipes on scraps of paper in a drawer but now I can keep
a recipe file on my computer. I can, if I choose to, do my budget,
plan a roster for the kids in Excel™, and keep my CDs coordinated
in an Access™ database. I write my blogs in Word™,
do the church newsletter in Binder™, an Quota: unlimited
- not sure what this does to my hosting space - I was told to
keep it fairly cleared out if it's webmail. I’d keep track
of my schedule in Outlook™**. I write more e-mails now instead
of letters, and I can have more mailboxes inside this one box
of wires than a post office can provide me in a single lifetime!
Once upon a time, I lived
for my books. I was a bookworm whose level of concentration when
reading was so great no earthquake could've roused me from the
page! These days, as my eyesight begins to struggle with tiny
text, I find that it is "easier" for me to read things
here on the computer, so this is where my new hobby has become
my obsession. The computer combines effortlessly the two greatest
loves of my life, reading and writing, serving them endlessly
and beautifully.
Sometimes I fear that I'm
going to look like a computer soon. I'm sure I noticed that my
eyes had taken on a distinctly square shape when I last looked
in the mirror. I live, breathe, work, and entertain myself these
days all on the computer. Without it, I tend to feel like a ship
lost at sea with no idea in which direction is land! As much as
I love my husband and my children, without the computer to give
me respite from the demands of being a wife and mother, I think
I'd have gone spare long ago!
Here under my fingers is
the power to express my deepest thoughts, joys and fears. Here
online in the evocative virtual reality of the Internet, I can
engage with friends, read about lives, study a course, experience
a wonder, and laugh at something stupid. The paddocks of this
phenomenon are so many, so diverse, so packed with interesting
things to discover, I am aghast when others in my 3D world claim
complete ignorance of its potential and little desire to discover
it!
My eleven-year-old daughter
gets frustrated with me. She notices me at one of my favourite
chat forums. She chastises me in her childish way, claiming that
"The Boards" must be more important than her needs,
which right at this moment is a serving of ice cream.
It's true that this obsession,
this passion I have for the Internet and the computer can make
me singular in my focus! I struggle, endlessly, balancing the
duties of being a partner and parent with my own "need"
to be engaged inside this virtual world.
I'm not an introvert; I
don't use the Internet to isolate myself in order to re-energize.
In fact, I am an extrovert of the first order, clamouring for
information and interaction with other people in their writings,
their ideas, in chatrooms and weblogs, forums and possibilities.
I love both my worlds! The
real world and the virtual world! I am passionate about my family!
I am passionate about my friends! I am also passionate about the
world here online and the opportunities this technology has given
me.
I live a full life and it's
wonderful! I'm passionate about that!
*http://toolbar.google.com
- All about the Google Toolbar
**http://www.microsoft.com/
- Access™, Binder™, Excel™, Outlook™,
and Word™ are all trademarks of the Microsoft Corporation.
Microsoft Corporation, One Microsoft Way, Redmond, WA 98052-6399
USA.
-------------------------------------
Known as Mitch to her
friends, Michelle has been writing since childhood. She has
a passion and love for the English language and used to read
the dictionary in Primary School "just for fun," much
to the dismay of her classmates. She has written skits and short
plays for church groups and has had many of these published
online at www.dramatix.org
and in print [Mega Drama: Reproducible Christian Drama Resources.
Volumes 3, 4, 5 & 6. Openbook Publishers Adelaide South
Australia 2002]
From Horsham, Australia,
Michelle has been married to Greg for 13 years. They have two
children. mpitman@AdviserCentral.com
