Non-Internet Techies

I have two friends that aren't hooked up to the Internet. One has a word processor and the other doesn't have a computer of any kind.

The word processor friend uses hers to write letters. I guess she has to print out the letter, mail it and wait for an answer. The only letter I get from her is at Christmas. We talk a couple of times a year because I call her on the phone. She doesn't have a cell phone either. I'm not sure she has an answering machine. And I wonder how many letters she gets answered.

The other friend's husband retired many years ago. His company had just introduced computers into his workplace (that'll tell you how long ago he retired), but he never got the hang of them. I understand that because when I was first introduced to computers we had to use the old Basic, and it was a pain. So, this friend and her husband don't even want to look into the world of computers. They didn't have a cell phone until recently, but they never have it on unless they plan to use it themselves. Probably don't carry it unless they go out of town. In fact, they didn't have an answering machine on their phone line until a few years ago. If they go out of town, they turn it off. They probably still use rabbit ears on their TV, but I don't know that for sure. The only time we talk is when I call them, too.

I think both of these friends have two things going on. One, they are a little scared of the Internet because they know nothing about it. Second, they don't care about being hooked up with the world. I understand the scared part. If one of my friends hadn't pushed me into it, I wouldn't have gotten a computer either. Her husband sold them, helped me get one and get on the Net, and I've been a "techie" ever since. I love being able to communicate with people I haven't seen in years. As a writer I like being able to Google just about anything I need for a story. Writing a novel on Word is a million times easier than trying to do it on a typewriter. And I like being hooked up with the world.

But you know, both of these people are happy. They may not know what they're missing, but maybe they aren't missing anything at all. I'd love to be able to communicate with them more often. They're always happy to talk to me and ask us to come visit them. But they never call first. The fact that they don't call first might tell me something. All they need is the world around them; their friends, family, cats and husbands.

Kind of like the good old days.