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Time changes many things

When I wake up in the morning and it is snowing and the wind is blowing, I enjoy sitting back in my easy chair, drinking my morning cup of coffee and reading the morning newspaper.

My thoughts wander to those out in the cold struggling to keep the roads open so those who have to travel to work can get there and maybe keep schools open.

I enjoy reading my morning newspaper every day, good weather or bad. Today’s younger generation doesn’t seem to read the newspaper all that much. They get their news online or on the TV. So some newspapers are much smaller in size and some have gone out of business.

They are like the milkman who used to deliver milk to the insulated box at the porch door. It was convenient to have the milk delivered to the door and it was always cold.

But the day of the gallon jug, the super market and cheaper prices has brought about the demise of the milkman with his or her insulated box.

Some people are saying that writing checks will soon be a thing of the past. Instead, we will be using the plastic charge card more and more and that will lead to the end of writing checks.

Personally, I still like to write checks, but credit or debit cards are also handy to use. Using cash has almost become a thing of the past. If we want to establish a line of credit, we have to use a credit card and make monthly payments on time each month.

Using credit cards and automatic bank payments can also lead to problems for the post office. If we aren’t charging things at the store and bills don’t come to our homes anymore and we have to send payment back by mail, post office revenue will decline. They could go out of business.

Perhaps it is the use of junk mail that will keep them alive but many of us get tired of disposing of all that nonsense.

Then there are books. Some of us don’t want to give up the hard copy of a book that we can hold in our hands and flip the pages. But many people have learned that you can get a book for half the price online and have the convenience of previewing it before buying.

What about the landline telephone? Some families have discontinued that service and use cell phones all the time because they don’t believe they need a landline anymore. If they keep it, they are paying double charges for the same service.

We are one of those families that keep a landline because we have always had one and it doesn’t cost all that much more. At least that is how we justify it.

Cursive or joined handwriting is gone in many schools. Cursive writing is beautiful and those of us in the older category were taught that style in school years ago.

Now most everything is written on the computer or some electronic device. The beautiful style of cursive writing, while somewhat slow, is no longer seen in many schools.

Then there is something that mystifies me and a place where we store different things. That is the Internet cloud. Don’t ask me to explain it because I can’t but “cloud services” can be purchased for most computers for a monthly fee. Then if there is something you want to save from your computer, just put it in the cloud — whatever that is.

TVs have also changed. Instead of watching TV shows, we are using them for other things like playing games and things that take viewers away from regular TV programs.

Personally, I like to watch the news, weather and some sports on TV, and that often is enough.

So let’s go back to that easy chair, newspaper and cup of coffee on a cold, snowy morning. It is enjoyable and easier to do.

Parker is retired from The Ohio State University and an independent writer for the Tribune Chronicle. Contact him at 149woodside@twc.com

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