Personal Essay First Draft 8/31
Me, my mother, my father, my brother, my uncle, and grandparents were huddled around the Christmas tree in a festive mood. I had just finished unwrapping a soccer ball and looked eagerly at the shiny wrappers to see whose turn it was next. I will not forget when my Grandma, who knew nothing about technology, unwrapped her present, an iPad Mini. She, who barely knew anything about technology, looked in awe as she stuttered out the mispronunciation “pud-min-EE.” She struggled with it at first, but as she has learned how to use it, she has become more connected; talking with her friends, keeping up with the news, and FaceTiming or Skyping my mother every night to inquire what is happening in her life. While I don’t advertise for every 80-year-old to be active on Instagram, I think this anecdote speaks not only to how technology can benefit older people, but how a willingness to change and a readiness to adapt and move forward can improve their lives in more ways than they can imagine. M