Retirement Update, Month Seven
Being Old

Is the Internet Our Friend?

Last week’s news about the Heartbleed Bug, a major Internet security breach, convinced me to change my passwords.

I started with my Yahoo Mail. I had used the same password forever and I liked it.   Changing it was a pain.  But it got worse when, after changing the password on my computer, I tried to check my email on my phone. I got the following message: “Cannot reach server.” I had to delete my Yahoo account from my phone and re-install it with the new password, a reminder that technology is not always our friend.

Except when it is. 

For example, this past weekend our Maryland kids/grandkids made a last-minute decision to drive to Philadelphia.  It was the grandkids’ spring break so there were no football or soccer games to miss.  We learned about it from a texted picture of our grandchildren in front of the Liberty Bell with the caption “Guess where we are.”

They called Sunday night to describe their adventure. Jeremy had decided to try his new college alumni phone app that tells you if any alums are nearby. Jeremy opened it as they neared Philadelphia only to find that a good friend from his freshman dormitory lived ten minutes away.  He clicked on the name, got a phone number and called.  The friend was at home with his wife and two sons the same age as our grandchildren. They had a three-hour reunion.

Meanwhile, Katrina posted the Liberty Bell picture on Facebook.  A good friend of hers who lives half-way across the country sent an email saying “About to fly to Phillie and would love to see you.”  So she and Katrina were able to meet for a catch-up coffee.

Gotta love the Internet.  But like many things in life, we have to take the bad with the good.

 

 

 

 

 

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