My level of frustration at this exact moment in time is off the freaking charts!
In the past week, hours evaporated while I:
tried to change my cellular service provider
tried to connect to my new cell phone hotspot
tried to connect my Roku to the elusive hotspot
tried to connect my TV to Roku
tried to connect my computer to my printer using my new hotspot
tried to…oh crap…tried unsuccessfully to keep from bellowing obscenities…
It’s a good thing I live alone…
I thought I was tech-savvy. Seems that was yesterday. Things change at the speed of light…or is there something faster now? I wouldn’t doubt it.
Is it a function of age? If I were, say, 40, would I automatically have the necessary skills? Or six years old perhaps? My twin grandsons grasp technology better than I do.
Perhaps I’m past my use-by date. I haven’t expired, but I’m beginning to decay.
The other day I was visiting with a group of women, all seventy-plus. Our conversation began innocently enough, talking about the books we’d been reading, the TV series we were hooked on. As we warmed up to each other, we moved from the abstract to the intimate, how advancing years have made us less tolerant of discomfort in any form, especially clothing. Specifically, bras.
From pre-teen to middle age, I didn’t think twice about harnessing up with underwires to support my abundance. The silhouette was most important so I tolerated the metallic uplifting and powered on.
Then came Bali. Every cremation, wedding, and ceremonial event, required a sarong, a lace kabaya, and an undergarment so constricting from cinched waist to hoisted breasts that breathing was no longer involuntary. The Mona Lisa.
Ngusaba Tegen was the worst. We suited up by the hundreds and walked the gravel road in high-heeled flip-flops to gather outside the temple. Row upon row of offerings made by the men of the village, hung suspended awaiting the blessing of the priests. And so did we – wait. Women and children sat on the ground literally for hours.
Imagine ninety-degree heat, air chewable with humidity. You’re dressed in a tightly wound sarong, legs folded sideways underneath you with the Mona Lisa corset shoving your breasts up under your chin.
Balinese women don’t squirm. They don’t sweat. They just gossip happily, a child in their lap, an arm around the shoulder of the friend they’re chatting to. Hair perfect. Makeup exquisite. And in the midst of them is me, swiping at the moisture dripping off my chin, tugging at the sarong that threatens to unwrap, yanking down on the creeping corset that wants to pop my breasts out of the low-cut neckline of the itchy kebaya, all the while smiling, trying to appear, well, Balinese…cool, calm, composed.
Is it any wonder that here at Granny’s Landing in the middle of idyllic nowhere, I’ve burned my bras along with my bridges? After fifty years enslaved to the silhouette, I refuse to have my torso squeezed up or down, in or out. My breasts swing freely, like balloons full of pudding. There’s nothing sexy about them. The jokes about old ladies are too true to be funny.
Right?
I used to care. I’ve thought about that. Why did I care? If I’m honest, I have to admit that I was motivated by sheer vanity. I wanted to look good for me. Makeup. Perms. High heels. Mini skirts. Underwires. How much of that do I still do? Zip. Zilch. Nada. I’m over myself. Now, all I care about is comfort.
It’s wonderful! So liberating! Intoxicating! The incredible joy of not giving a damn.
And just so you know, somehow I managed to facilitate the new cellular service install and connect to the hotspot. As if by magic, the Roku talks to the TV and my computer works. The printer…no amount of begging, pleading, cajoling, or cursing, has succeeded so far. It remains disconnected to frustrate me yet again another day.
writing for self-discovery 
Aug 10, 2024 @ 19:25:21
Another fun read. Thanks for sharing.
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Aug 10, 2024 @ 22:19:09
Thanks for reading!
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Aug 10, 2024 @ 19:30:24
This should go to the NYT opinion section, Sherry! It’s wonderfully universal to those of us who are septuagenarians and beyond. It’s beautifully written! My only suggestion, should you choose to send it out, is to use a photo of YOU at the computer!
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Aug 10, 2024 @ 22:18:43
Funny that you would comment about the photo! I requested an AI generated image of an old woman frustrated by technology and that is what I got. I figure one shot of me per article is enough.
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Aug 10, 2024 @ 20:10:09
Love this post. Any woman over 60 has to agree on both issues – technology and comfort. We continue to try until we ask ourselves why? I believe I’ll strive for technology advances far longer than dress requirements that impinge on my comfort. Maybe you can write a post about the wonders of flip flops as we age???
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Aug 10, 2024 @ 22:22:11
I owned nothing BUT flip-flops in Bali – as far as footwear goes, that is.
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Aug 10, 2024 @ 22:23:11
I owned nothing BUT flip-flops in Bali – as far as footwear goes, that is. They were perfect for that climate and they work in Minnesota for about 2 months out of 12!
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Aug 10, 2024 @ 21:36:36
Sorry—I didn’t mean to laugh!!! :))
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Aug 10, 2024 @ 22:24:01
I would be offended if you didn’t laugh!
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Aug 10, 2024 @ 21:37:07
i don’t even know what a Roku is!!!
(hi Sherry!)
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Aug 10, 2024 @ 22:24:32
Consider yourself lucky!
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Aug 10, 2024 @ 21:51:29
I love this post . Go you and bras are the worst . I can’t wear tight jeans anymore . I need comfort .
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Aug 10, 2024 @ 22:26:18
Tight anything should be permanently banned.
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Aug 11, 2024 @ 02:59:07
right. roll with the punches
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Aug 11, 2024 @ 04:53:32
I SO get it, Sherry, but sadly I am not quite there yet!🤣🤣
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Aug 11, 2024 @ 09:36:51
All in good time! Some never take the leap. A pair of D-cup breasts can weigh anywhere from 15 to 26 pounds! That’s a heckuva lot of bounce to be swinging free!!!🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
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Aug 11, 2024 @ 09:15:08
Bahahaha! Little did I know where that innocent conversation would take you! Thanks for the laughs! I feel ya, sista!!
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Aug 11, 2024 @ 09:44:52
Who knew! I’m fortunate to be in a place where we’re all boiled down to our core essences! Pretty hilarious!
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Aug 11, 2024 @ 10:30:44
Always enjoy reading your blogs. I tend to agree with most of this – LOL. Please keep up your great work! If you have time, check out my weekly blog at Greetings from Rosa’s Walks of Life!!! – by Rosa Diaz-Casal (substack.com).
All the best to you!
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Aug 11, 2024 @ 13:11:36
Thanks for reading! I enjoyed your philosophical musings about creativity.
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Aug 30, 2024 @ 12:05:48
Enjoyed! You’ve hit the nail on the head – probably because you’ve had so much hammer experience since moving back 🙂
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Sep 01, 2024 @ 05:38:32
Haha! Clever!
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