My
dad turned 90 in August. Mom passed away four years ago, and Dad is adamant he
can take care of himself. He got a new knee, cleats for his boots and canes
with pokey prongs that flip up when the sidewalks are clear of snow. We tease
him about getting more steps in a day than we do.
One
of Dad’s recent interests is understanding the basics of computers, technology
and Google. When he loses a game of chess on his iPad, he says Siri is in a bad
mood. When Siri wakes him up from a nap to tell him it’s going to get cold
tomorrow, Dad thanks her for the update and scrolls the Weather App to see
what’s blowing in.
A
few years ago, when the Sunshine Ski Resort posted free WiFi Hot Spots at the top
of the lifts, Dad asked what WiFi was all about.
I
told him, “It’s so you can use your phone and log onto the internet for free.”
“Up
here?” His moustache twitched. “Why would you want to do that?”
On
a recent visit with Dad, I sit in the living room scrolling through Google for
blog ideas while he stretches out on the couch to read.
After
awhile Dad points at my laptop and says, “What are you doing?”
“I’m
working on my blog for next month.”
He
closes his book and sits up. “You’re working on what?”
“A
blog.” I smile. “It’s a short piece of writing. Hopefully I can make it funny, or
entertaining, maybe informative, or insightful.”
“What
do you do with it when you're done?”
“I
post in on a website which puts it on the internet for people to read.”
He tips his head. “Who
reads it?”
“I’m
not sure.” I shrug. “People who read blogs, people who might be interested in
what I have to say.”
“Do
you get paid to do it?”
“Indirectly.
Maybe. Sort of." I give him a bigger smile. "I hope some readers will check out one of my books, maybe buy
it or get it from the library.”
I
stare down at my laptop to hide my grin and continue the search for popular
blog topics – expert insights (nope), science posts (nope), upcoming
trends (nope), DIY tips (nope)…personal (possibly).
Dad
clears his throat, and I look up.
“Let
me get this straight," he says. "You find something to write about, you put it on the
internet for the world to see but you don’t know who will read it and you don’t
know if it will make you any money?”
I
nod.
“Well,”
he pauses. “Do you enjoy doing it?”
“Yes,
yes I do.”
“Well,”
he picks up his book, stretches out on the couch again and lets out a sigh, “that’s
good.”
Happy holidays and all the best of wishes for 2023.
You can contact me at: bbaker.write@gmail.com
Summer of Lies: Baker, Barbara:9780228615774: Books - Amazon.ca
What About Me?: Sequel to Summer of Lies : Baker, Barbara: Amazon.ca: Books
