Friendship

As everyone knows, there's something special about a real friendship. Having a friend gives you opportunities to vent, to "discuss," to share, to get help and advice, and to just plain solve the problems of the world. Today my friend went out of his way to help me solve a problem, and I hadn't even asked for his help.


I had wanted a year or so ago to begin this blogging business simply because I thought that in my senior years it would give me another way to keep what's left of my mind active. I tried blogging on my own website, but the host of that site used a blog host totally different from Google. It was difficult to set up, difficult to manage, and difficult to use. It wasn't long before I simply stopped using it and took my blog down.


In the past several weeks I discovered a blog written by a young woman whose writing just enthralled me. She had a way of telling stories that grabbed the reader and I found myself returning to her blog daily. I probably should mention she's the daughter of my friend, but it was her telling of life stories that kept me returning on a daily basis. "That is what I'd like to be able to do," I told myself, so the day after Christmas I took the plunge and set up A Gator in Maine.


***Coincidentally, I learned later the same day about her losing BFK, her cat of 17 years. That inspired me to begin my blogging with "A Loss ... ".***

Learning a new system, even one as unbelievably easy as blogging via Google, requires a learning curve, especially for some of us who have reached seniority. After I posted my comments yesterday, my friend sent me an email pointing out that he could not comment. No big deal, one might think, except it's partially through the comments we learn. I checked, and sure enough the comment section was turned off. I went through the control panel that comes with a blogging account and everything looked perfect. I tried leaving a comment and couldn't.

I attributed the problem to me and the way I had composed that post. My friend didn't accept that and simply called his daughter, who has been posting for a long time. She recognized the problem immediately and told my friend who called me with the solution.

I think on more than one occasion during that call I told him he didn't have a clue to what he was talking about. He insisted his daughter knew more than I and no matter how much I argued, he wouldn't accept defeat. I had tried everything he told me and it hadn't worked. But he also kept mentioning editing the blog itself which I calmly explained I had done. No matter what I did, the comment section did not appear.

Finally, I said very quietly to myself, "I'll humor this stupid creature and play the futility game and go through the motions once again." Darn! I probably had a slightly stronger word in mind, but right where he'd been telling me all along was a button. And sure enough, somehow, although right now I still don't know how, I had shut off allowing comments. I made the change and comments were once again opened.

Oh, how I hated to admit that arrogant donkey was right all along. He had the audacity to believe his daughter's solution over my insistance he was totally wrong!

I've got a sneaky suspicion, though, our friendship will last!

But the inspiration of his daughter remains. I recognize I have a long way to go, but I'll enjoy seeking to become the writer she is.

G.D