Lessons I have Learned from my Computer

I have learned something from my computer. I should have----I have been spending enough time on it! I have been co-editing a book called Fearless Women, and it has been on a tight timetable. (The work has been considerable and intense, but I am very pleased with the results. The book will be released in July of this year).

At times, during the past few weeks, I could almost hear my overloaded computer saying to me,…”I’m sorry, Gail, but you have over-stuffed me, and I simply can’t digest anything new. You will have to remove things before I can take on more!”

When my computer decides that it has had too much, it goes into “safety” mode. The menu screen turns gray, and the computer operates only minimally. Those times in my life when I feel rather ashen gray myself, due to overload, I would do best to also keep things at my base line operating program.

Ah yes…. time to weed out what no longer matters, and perhaps never did! Oh, how ridiculously reluctant I can be to do this thinning out! So my first modest step is to rid myself of duplicates. It turns out that I have multiple copies of the same photos in various files on my computer. There!...that wasn’t too hard! Liikewise, I begin to look in my own life----what personal possessions and activities exhibit duplication?

Oh dear…further thinning is needed. It feels like having to let go of parts of my life (cling, cling….). I need to remember that my life is in the present, not in past history. So I would be wise to hold onto only what serves me well today and up ahead.

And if I fail to cut back on what I am storing, there is the daunting possibility of the computer “crashing”, a complete shutting down. Sadly, I have experienced that before also in my life and do not want to go there again.

Indeed, there were things that my computer would not longer perform. Also, there were days when I was away from home. Suddenly, I needed other people’s computers. I became dependent on their good will. Sharing time on a hotel computer; tying up time on computers belonging to friends! Being in the position of need was a good reminder to me to be courteous and responsible about my usage. It also reminded me that there will be times when I will be the one called upon to share and be gracious.


Yes, life lessons are everywhere, even at our fingertips!, If we are paying attention. Be awake and alert. The universe is speaking to you!


(A humorous and fitting postscript to this is that my computer would neither allow me to upload this printed word document or even “copy” to paste into my blog. I ended up having to take a photo of the screen and then re-type the entire piece again after my daughter helped de-frag and clear the computer. Is there a lesson in this somewhere---“where there’s a will, there’s a way”?, or is this some kind of cosmic humor being played out. Hmmmm…..)