Editor’s Note: Please extend a warm welcome to Selma Shuman of North Bryan. Shuman will write a semi-occasional community column for the Bryan County News on whatever topic she decides to tackle. 

I do not do too well with change.

I do realize that some changes are necessary and are actually beneficial to us; however, some not so much.

The indoor toilet was a great change. I would have hated to go outside to the outhouse, especially when it was hot, cold or dark.

There would have had to have been several modifications so I could have slept out there at night. I don’t really see myself walking outside in the middle of the night to use the bathroom.

The washer and dryer are fantastic changes. I remember watching grandma use big buckets to wash clothes.

She had a scrubbing board in one bucket to wash the clothes in and the other bucket was used for rinsing.

Then she still had to hang them on the clothes line. When they were dry she took the clothes in and ironed them.

So much easier to pop them in the washing machine and then pop them in the dryer. Less fuss, less muss.

I like the copy machine. It’s a lot faster and cleaner than carbon paper.

I do have a problem with filing backwards, whether it is numerically or alphabetically. I was raised in the USA 123/ABC.

Cell phones today - so impressive. One can talk, take pictures, play games, check the weather, etc. The list of things you can do with them is seemingly endless. My best friend and I used to holler out the window at each other when we wanted to talk and couldn’t leave the house.

I miss the personal communication, though. Looking into a person’s eyes as you communicate with them connects you in a way a phone never can. There is less chance of misunderstandings due to misinterpretation.

Family time, gathering around the table and just talking to each other is so sadly lacking today. Members sit around the supper table with their cell phones, each in their own little world. Change can be good or it can be bad.

PS. I really do like Pinterest, though.