Looking at the screen...

There are times when I wonder how to soil this beautiful white sheet of paper. I suppose that that thought dates me. I used to wonder that as I looked at paper over my typewriter’s keyboard. Now I look at a computer screen, still amazed that the letters that I wish to use appear in front of me. I love to write on the computer. It is fluid. I used to be the king of slips and rubber cement in editing and copying (hence, “cut and paste” on the computer’s edit menu). I would not want to go back to that time. But there is something unreal about working on the computer. I miss the tangibility of paper on the roll in front of me being altered with each keystroke.

There is an old joke: How many Lutherans does it take to change a light bulb? Four: One to make the change, three to complain how much better things were before the new bulb. Imagine how the transition might have been when they moved from candles to electricity! As a former Lutheran pastor, I can poke gentle fun at my former parishioners. They trusted me with their spiritual growth; I led as I had light to see the path. Too often, however, there seemed to be nostalgia for a glorious past that never was.

It’s true. I miss seeing paper in front of me. I don’t miss slips and rubber cement. I love the fluidity of the editing process and the ease with which I can move from thought to expression on the computer. It is an improvement. It came with a loss: I lost the touch of paper in my hands. But not really, it is just postponed to the moment that I choose to print a document. In this case I am writing for my blog. I do not intend to print this document. Its expression is purely digital, unless a reader decides to commit it to a hard copy. This is an option that never existed before. The change created new options that I could not have imagined twenty years ago.

Life is a series of changes. With each change, small or large, we risk the loss of things held precious and the gain of things unimagined. I tried to use a typewriter a couple of days ago. I was in the office supply store and saw one. I had to try it. Do you know how hard it is to remember to hit the enter button each time I have come to a line return? And all of the beautiful options for fonts and emphasis that I did not have with a typewriter. I definitely like the new light bulb. I may have some nostalgia, but it is transient.

Now to learn to do the same with my love life…


And now for something completely unrelated to my post!

You're Mexico!

While some people think you're poor and maybe a little corrupt, you know where it's at, enjoying good food and nice beaches. You like to take things a little slower than those around you, and you really wish the air were cleaner, but sometimes compromises must be made. For some reason, Chevrolet keeps trying to sell you Novas as well, even though they don't really go.

Take the Country Quiz at the Blue Pyramid