Technology helps me daily. There’s a lot of electronics around, though. What tools help me the most? Here’s a list of five items that I think make my life better every day.
My cell phone goes with me everywhere. It’s rarely on and very rarely used. I don’t think I’ve taken more than 5 calls on it in as many years. On average I make about 20 calls a year on it. But I can call the doctor, the veterinarian, or my sister. When I’m out on a 5 mile hike and no one seems to be around, it’s a relief to know that if I fall and break my leg or if I have a hypoglycemic episode I can call for help. The value of my little pay by the month Trac phone is in this sense of security. Plus, it has a calculator on it. My cell phone is definitely important to me.
My home printer/ fax /scanner is also a great electronic helper to me. I use all three parts of this gadget. The printer lets me print letters,forms and all sorts of documents that I need. I rarely use the fax but it helps when a business tells me to fax a document or a proof of payment on a bill. The scanner keeps my piles of paper to a minimum and makes my files portable. I use an HP model that goes with my computer.
I’m not a great photographer. In fact, I delete half the pictures that I take. But my digital camera goes with me everywhere. I particularly love taking pictures of birds because I am a birdwatcher. But my camera goes to family events and records my nieces and nephews special events. My camera captures my adorable cats. Because it’s digital I can take a picture with comparative ease, upload it, print it or order a print of it, and save it on a disk or CD. I can use a variety of software programs to fix it in different ways or to change it completely. Or I can delete it, right in the camera, to save space for more pictures! I need my cell phone and home printer but I love my digital camera. I currently use a point and click version from Nikon.
I find my email to be vital in several ways. Of course, contact with my family far away is special. I can’t imagine going back to an occasional letter in the mail when I now email daily or weekly. Email gives me information that I need and enjoy. For example, I love several forms of needlework and have joined groups that share my interests. I like the contact and get valuable information that is new to me, like a video on how to do a special technique on a loom that I may never have found on my own. I use a few different email programs daily.
Perhaps the most vital gadget that I have is my diabetes testing meter. One of the biggest problems I have with diabetes is that it’s not visible. I don’t usually know if my blood glucose numbers are high or low unless they’re at extreme levels. My testing kit helps me control my blood sugar levels by letting me know what my numbers are. There are several software programs that seem nice related to tracking blood sugar. My favorite is the SiDiary, which is free to try, because you can link a number of types of meters up to your computer and upload the readings to the software to track.
These five tools help me to organize, play, communicate and control my health. I grew up without these things but now I can’t imagine not having any of them. Technology is great.