The talent show is always more of a fun time for kids lip-syncing songs rather than actually singing, but it offers a level of variety in their day and is always enjoyable. Perhaps yesterday would have been no exception had it not been for the heat. For whatever reason, the air-conditioning in the gymnasium wasn’t working. Did I mention the gymnasium is a metal building? Did I mention it is a metal building without windows? The experience added a whole new dimension to the concept of pressure cooker. What were we thinking?
Actually, as I looked around the gym everyone appeared to be oblivious to the fact that it was hotter than… it should have been (oops, I almost forgot what I was going to write). I had the thought, “If you can’t run with the big dogs, stay on the porch.” If others could ignore the fact that it was HOT, so could I. However, I was relieved when someone asked, “What wrong with the air conditioner?” There is something about the notion that misery loves company that can be a little comforting. With the question asked, I gave myself permission to ignore that we were in a sweatbox.
At any rate, I made it home around 7:45 last night. The house was quiet. The General and grandchildren were not yet home from Vacation Bible School. I headed directly for my computer. The first paragraph of my blog is the most difficult. If I could get it started, the rest generally falls into place.
Actually, I was at my computer the day before when the crew got home from VBS. My oldest granddaughter walked in the office and said, “Granddad, all you do is sit at your computer. No wonder you have eye problems.” You know what they say, “Out of the mouth of babes comes something that sounds like a repetition of what they’ve heard their Gram say”. I thanked her for her concern.
At any rate, yesterday my computer screen looked very different than it should have looked. My favorite screen saver was gone. For years I’ve alternated between a picture I took in Monaco and one I made on an architectural boat tour in Chicago. In its place was an opaque blue screen. I thought immediately about the story lines from Goldilocks and the three bears:
"Someone's been eating my porridge." “Someone’s been sitting in my chair”. “Someone’s been sleeping in my bed”. It was very obvious that someone’s been tampering with my computer. We live in the country. I learned long ago that there is an expectation that you always leave the gate the way you found it. From my perspective, that value could equally be said about computer screens. So who was the culprit?
I knew immediately that Jenna and Lilian, the two eleven-year old granddaughters, where responsible, but why? The day before, I got home to discover that a couple of slates on the plantation shutters upstairs were broken. Okay, so if the shutters are hard to open, “Why not force it?” I wondered who was responsible for that? How about you? Good guess! It was the two eleven-year old girls. Of course, neither had a clue of how it happened. They had been upstairs using their Gram’s computer. Simply solution, “Okay kids, upstairs is now off limits. Please don’t touch the plantation shutters anywhere in the house.”
There were no other negative sanctions. Simply don’t touch the shutters and don’t go up stairs. Okay, I should have seen it coming. Granddad’s computer was now fair game. If they couldn’t use Gram’s computer because it was upstairs, they’d settle for mine. But what prompted them to eliminate my screen saver?
Was it accidental? Was it purposeful? Was it passive-aggressive behavior? Did I mention I don’t deal well with passive aggressive behavior? Neither girl has a clue of how my screen saver got changed. Are you kidding me? Of course, they do, but for whatever reason, they are not telling.
They obviously were attempting to push my buttons, but I didn’t take the bait. I was calm. I do regret that I let a teaching moment slide by without attempting to put them on a guilt trip (Oops – I mean suggesting that I treat them and their things with respect and that I except the same from them). Okay, so what goes around comes around. I don’t like playing passive-aggressive games, but I’m not going to stay on the porch just because I can’t play their game. I can play and I will win.
Later today when they discover that I’ve put my computer to sleep, they won’t have the password to wake it up. Of course, I’ll gladly provide it, should they choose to call and ask, but I’m now the gatekeeper. If I were a betting man, my money would be on the likelihood that they won’t ask for the password. That would acknowledge that I’m in control. I don’t see either yielding to that acknowledgement quite yet. Only time will tell. We’ll see.
All My Best!
Don