I wish that you would stop telling me about how great it was back in the old days. Truth is, it was a struggle and we both kept wishing things would be easier. We just refuse to remember that it was not as easy as we’d like to remember. I can hardly remember, and you probably can’t remember at all, how much we complained about things back then. Do you remember wishing you had a color TV instead of that old black and white one – the one with the rabbit ears? The one you had to jump up from the couch to change the channel? Do you remember wishing your car had air conditioning? Do you remember when we had to defrost our refrigerators? Or what a struggle it was to get the ice cubes out of the tray? I could go on. Life was cruel and hard back then. Those were the BM days. (before microwaves) And before we had grand-kids telling us that we need to back up our computers. (See Part 1)

I also wish you would stop telling me over and over and over again about your successes from 45 years ago. So what if you were the manager of the mimeograph department back then? Does anyone today even remember what a mimeograph machine is (or was)? Those talents and experiences are so long obsolete that no one even knows any more what they were or why they were important. And stop telling me about your 37 years’ experience as a teacher or whatever it was that you did. I strongly suspect that you didn’t really have 37 years experience. Rather, I think you had one year’s experience, 37 times. (There is a difference you know.)

I also wish you would stop telling me over and over and over again about your successes from 45 years ago. So what if you were the manager of the mimeograph department back then? Does anyone today even remember what a mimeograph machine is (or was)? Those talents and experiences are so long obsolete that no one even knows any more what they were or why they were important. And stop telling me about your 37 years’ experience as a teacher or whatever it was that you did. I strongly suspect that you didn’t really have 37 years experience. Rather, I think you had one year’s experience, 37 times.

See how it feels when I keep telling you again and again?

Those of us who are “older and wiser” need to start facing the truth. We need to start learning new skills, new techniques and accepting new ideas. I’ll admit it – I remember hearing myself say – way, way back in 1989. “What the hell do I need a computer for?” Now I know what I need a computer for. I just wrote this piece on one. And maybe I still need to learn. The other day I heard myself say, “What do I need one of those fancy phones for? ” Deja vu all over again.

So please get off your old, obsolete soap box and stop telling me that because you are older, you are wiser.

And stop telling me to back up.