This week, I am working on a fundraiser that my daughter Heidi is coordinating for Visual Arts Minnesota. I am in charge of the silent auction. I have produced on Word all the descriptions and bid sheets for what folks have donated. I still have a number of tasks to do before the event this coming Friday. I have managed silent auctions for the annual fundraiser for the Boys & Girl’s Club of Little Falls. It isn’t the worst thing in the world to do, but I am probably the worst person in the world to be doing it. I am so computer-challenged that what takes me hours to do could be done in 1/8 the time by someone else who is computer-savvy. I labor over lining things up, choosing fonts, correcting errors, going back and forth to match things up and recheck my information. I write everything down before I put them on the computer which is pretty counter-productive.
I suppose you could say this is good training for me to improve my computer skills. I just struggle to find a reason why I should have to do that. I am retired, for crying out loud! I don’t have an employer evaluating my abilities. There is no job to lose if I take forever. In fact, that is the problem. When you are not getting paid by the hour, what does it matter how long a task takes?
I shouldn’t complain. I mean, I really should not. At my age being able to learn something new, even though slowly and tediously, and to do things that are beneficial to others is a gift. I just need to keep my eye on the prize. No, I am not referring to the success of the fundraiser. I am referring to that moment when I get up the morning after the event and look ahead to at a day with nothing to do.