Look out world, my almost 77 year old father has discovered the INTERNET. I tried to interest him some time ago and maybe it wasn’t the right time or maybe I didn’t have enough patience to teach him.
Recently, I suggested he look into getting some lessons from a local library and this time he was all over it. He got a library card and is so proud of that. He goes monthly for lessons but since he is allowed to go as often as he likes, he goes for private instruction from a lady named Lois who has taught him about GOOGLE. Apparently, each time he goes, he can sign on for an hour or maybe two. Now he looks at OBITUARIES. Sadly, this is an important place to look when you reach a certain age. Heck, at 51. I have more than a handful of people that I graduated with who are gone.
Dad likes to tell me about all the former teachers he had and friends from Ambridge and the US Navy who have passed away. I keep telling him everybody dies dad so live each day, learn new things and keep your mind and body active.
For the past 5 years or so that we reconnected in life (long story) he has made A LOT of improvements. He has cut out most processed foods and eats in a much more healthier manner. He had kidney issues and we cut out exceedingly high and high oxalate foods and now his kidneys give him no issue. He joined the Y and takes group exercise swim classes, joined the VFW for some comradeship and even had a girlfriend for a bit. Things are definitely looking up for my dad. He lives in a little apartment across from our old house on Neville Island where I moved him. There, he keeps tabs on the 3 single ladies who also live in his building. They have formed a nice friendship and he is the designated driver of Rose to places she is afraid to drive and also takes her back and forth when her car is getting work done. One of the ladies does his laundry for him. He buys the soap and dryer sheets. I can tell he is happy there which is good.
To give him something more cheerful to explore and investigate than the obits, I showed him You Tube and I thought his head was going to explode when we found all The Ventures concert footage that is on there. He discovered the Ventures in Japan when he was serving in the US Navy during The Vietnam War. Dad LOVES surf sounds and loves to regale us with stories about his intense drumming in the old days and all things NAVY. He still has rhythm that is for sure. If you ever see him just mention WIPE OUT and he will smile a million dollar grin.
I asked him if he ever watched Laugh In and we checked out a few clips on YouTube. I showed him how to do searches to find out literally anything he wondered about, ANYTHING.
Then I wrote down my website address and he is to go to the library and see if he can find it and this blog. We talked about how this new skill is going to open up his whole world and allow him to get an email account, BUY things online and really let his imagination go wild. The internet is truly amazing.
We looked at recipes and talked about Facebook and how he can apply for his own rebates now for the Seresto collars he puts on his dog, Holly. It will be fun to see him get excited about finding his favorite movies and TV shows from his childhood and seeing what else interests him. Not that I want him sitting any more than he already does, but at least he will be hopefully learning something while he sits. He promises to get up and walk around every 30 minutes or so.
I will next mention online dating. My dad is still very much interested in the fairer sex and perhaps he will venture into the world of OurTime.com. You never know!!!!!
We are going to buy him a laptop for his birthday next month and he is to get internet installed with his cable. I think he is really going to enjoy life a lot more now that he can join the conversation going on around him. We take for granted that we have unlimited knowledge literally in our hands. I wish I wasn’t so dependent on my phone and all that it can do for me, but it IS IMPORTANT stuff, not just Instagram and FB that I look at all throughout the day and I probably couldn’t survive without it.
Welcome to the internet dad. I hope it brings you great joy and a GIRLFRIEND. You never know……
This is touching! It is because of him that we became friends.
It is indeed Liz! 🙂