It's all about new discovery

When I  bought  a computer I had no idea how to use it. Even less did I know the impact it would have on my life.

I had a sense of it.

But my first experience was a fat  negative.

I acquired an e-mail address.

As a  Council candidate, I made it known. It was like the polar bear plunge. I had no how to use te computer but  there ws no other way to find out. 

I received a phone call from a candidate who'd heard I was the only candidate who had not responded to a  questionnaire from the Aurora Banner. The deadline had passed. I called the editor to ask for an extension.

Deborah Kelly's  response was hostile. 

"It's not  our job to chase after candidates " she said.

I'd never spoken to the woman. Certainly there had been no exchange to account for the lack of civility.

The questionnaire was the only acknowledgement of the election 

The Banne was the only  newspaper in town at the time. 

Since tere was no reason I could identify, I decided it didn't exist. It was a figment of   political paranoia peculiar to politicians.

I was wrong  about that.

I fooled arou with the computer some  more for no particular purpose. 

I was elected in another election and met up with similar hostility. 

I still  couldn't pin-point a reason. But I could no longer dismiss the reality. I thought  about blogging.

You know what they say about the best defense. 

Still ...I knew nothing about blogging. 

I asked  and discovered I'd spent money acquiring a domain. It was as expensive  as it was a mis-step.

I  read about successful bloggers. One story made a particular impression. 

The publisher had been  diagnosed with a terminal illness. He blogged daily about dying.Thousands of people logged in and joined him in his journey.

I wasn't one.  I  figure that's a journey none of us need to take more than once.

I went to the senior's centre and  learned someting of the practical application of blogging .

About the same time, a young  knowledgeable  neigbor became interested in what I was struggling to achieve and became both teacher and associate.It was a period when she needed a diversion.

Helping  me acquire rudimentary  computer skills provided what  she needed at the time  I needed help.

I had not become proficient by the time her life turned  around as I knew it would but I had learned enough to limp along .

The blog evolved to belong to more than myself alone.

At one and the same time, the immediate nature of communication  is both its strength and  frailty.

It is what it is.

Now I am dealing with  something new.

The experience pre-occupies my mind but I can't  tell the story.   For now.

If I  blogged six times as often , it would not be enough to tell  story I need to tell.

It must wait.

While  it waits... it's hard to focus on anything else.

That's a new  discipline to be mastered.

We  celebrated the life of  former Mayor John West today.

The closing words were spoken  by others. 

It's what we do. 

John was of a generation that had  no access  to planning. 

Life was earned  as it came. It had to be embraced because there was no other way.

 I am as  certain  as I can be, John's  life was better than his wildest dreams anticipated.

He would have no regrets. 

That's as  good  as it gets.