Prologue

I decided to blog…again. Maybe I’ve decided to continue a blog started 3 years ago which is a continuation of a journal I started 9 years ago, then added to the journal I started this summer. The most recent summer journal began as a prescription given to me by a good friend. The effects were like exercise. It’s painful at first and difficult to see any progress…but with time, it becomes easier, the results became apparent and benefits priceless. These days it’s so much easier to capture thoughts while typing with two hands rather than scratching hieroglyphics with one.

Ah, the struggles of the pinch of the generational divide. There seems to be a bit of a chasm between X & Y. It’s not terribly noticeable, really. The question has been, “Upgrade or hang on to the old a little longer to see if the new one sticks?” On reflection, life has continually presented me this situation, which I seem to perceive as a dilemma.

For example:
Atari > Nintendo > PS3 > Xbox > Wii
Turntables > Tape Decks > CDs > MP3s
Typewriters > Apple IIe’s > Mac’s > PC’s
Bulletin Boards > Email > World Wide Web
Phones: Pay > Cordless > Car > Bag > Mobile
Reel-To-Reel Movies > VCR’s > Video Discs > DVDs
Polaroid’s > 35mm > Camcorders > Megapixels > DVRs
Mimeographs > Xerox Machines > Fax machines > Scanners
Carter, Regan then to Clinton...right where he’d like to be…between 2 Bush’s.

It can be infinitely difficult trying to decide when it is time to give up the old model and embrace the latest and greatest, go fast, good looking, neat-o cool model. We are bombarded with a seemingly endless list of good reasons to make the upgrade, especially when it’s fresh and new. For me it’s difficult to toss something out because something new comes along. New and exciting really hasn’t been a buying point for me. Different people make changes for different reasons. We all have different motives, means, and timing. I’ve outlined different reasons people may change, listed in order of increasing amount of time in acceptance.

1. The old model is perceived out of fashion, even though still perfectly functional. For these folks, the only catalyst necessary is the ‘new’ has worn off. A new fashion is in and it’s time to move on. No explanation, no reason; the old is handed down, passed along, or winds up back on the market, second hand. Nothing gets away, and nothing seems to satisfy.

2. Then there are those who are trying to keep up. These will get a little more out of their investment, but will soon find they aren’t happy with the things that promise more happiness…they move along. The example above makes for a great illustration. It’s just a matter of time before they are convinced there is something better. Satisfaction is held longer, but intimacy is never found.

3. For others no amount of fashion could make them give way, it must become a cost issue. They’ll hold on like an old hat in a stiff wind until it becomes more expensive to repair than to replace. Sure, it breaks down, doesn’t quite perform the way it promised, but you still hold on. Once in a while you take it in for improvements, but for the most part you just keep it around because familiar is nice.

4. Finally, there are those who will hang onto the old and familiar, tried and tested, until one day something really bad happens; the change is by painful force. There can be injuries, even lasting scars. After the trauma they can be reluctant to take on anything new, including a replacement. Even if a replacement is needed, reluctance to taking the risk of gain is no match for the pain of loss. The passage of time is the best medicine, but encouragement from those near and dear is the primary catalyst in speeding the process along.

I’ve been accused of not knowing when it’s time to cut my losses. Holding on well past the point of health and welfare…until the inevitable happens. I've held on too long. I’ve been left standing there wondering what when wrong; blamed myself for something inevitable and beyond control. It’s not that I should have done something differently. I should have traded up, traded in, or it was time to get out.

One of my New Year’s Resolutions will be to shorten up the time it takes me to figure out something isn’t working the way it’s supposed to be working and move on. My challenge will be to decide when an upgrade or a repair isn’t an option. The other will be to move forward with faith in myself…to hold those close to me even closer and face fear knowing my friends will be there for me.

Our accomplishments eventually end up in places called Museums of Human Achievement. Even though I can relate to both sides of the X/Y gap, yet can’t quite find comfort labeling myself one way or the other. It could be my own innate problem with labels in general, or there may be a reality to it. Regardless, the pinch seems to afford me great friends on both sides of the divide. Life is a tremendous journey with many people along the way, some good and others leave something to be desired. A good friend of mine once told me all relationships have a beginning, middle, and an end. The idea has been extremely difficult for me to get my mind around, but there is truth to it. If you have trouble with it, consider nobody lives forever and work your way backwards. Even humans wind up in our own museums…we call them cemeteries.

I am a product of my environment. Timing is everything; and something can be learned from everybody. Some people have been amazingly influential to me. The people who have spent any length of time in my life have all contributed something irreplaceable. Thank you.

With that said, it is time to upgrade from the hieroglyphic to the typographic, two hands instead of one, lifestyle over prescription. Different isn’t always better, but better is always different. For those of you with me on this journey, I look forward to all the best we can create together. I am excited to see where life leads us. Let’s make this a tremendous adventure. Let’s take it to our museum!!!