I have listened with one ear when my mother has told her stories about working to get her computer back online. It’s difficult to listen with full attention because she lacks the background to describe exactly what the problems are, and I lack the patience to figure it out. Together we both end up frustrated any time I try to help her via telephone with her computer problems.

So I swooped in and paid an emergency visit to come to her rescue this past weekend. I was able to bring things back to normal and she is once again on the internet and able to send and receive her email. Throughout it all I was feeling quite superior and smug—see how you needed me and see how smart I am! Imagine my surprise when my solution notes matched hers and I was stymied by the one final thing that also had blocked her — the printer. When I left the printer still was not talking to the computer. It is a network issue that Don will have to help us fix, soon, I hope.

But driving home I continued to be amazed at the tenacity and intelligence my mom has that I had been discounting. That little lady had done everything necessary and her computer was up and running and she didn’t need us. But the Geeks who had installed her operating system had failed to activate it and when it blew, all her days and days of work getting everything to talk to everything else just blew up in her face, and nothing she tried would get it back. After my hours of working with it I had gone through all the steps she had and now knew what she was talking about as she described the various steps. The process for me was very lengthy, tiring, and frustrating, so I know how it must have been for her to deal with on her own. From now on I know I will be more patient, and certainly more believing that she does, indeed, know what’s she’s talking about when her computer goes kablewy! And, uh, did I mention that my mother is 87 years old?