We’ve Got Something Kinda Phoney Going On

It was wettest day in the history of rain in London Town (probably), and I cycled across Blackfriars Bridge and along Fleet Street to High Holborn. Horizontal rain teeming down, the sky so grey you couldn’t see the tops of the buildings, and I wet soaked to the bones. But I had a mission to do, and the British weather wasn’t going to stop me.

I may have been a walking puddle, but Mrs D was in a muddle. I met with her, and she was at a complete loss with technology. She showed me her Samsung phone, and proudly demonstrated how to turn it on… and off again. Other than that she was clueless.

Once Mrs D had turned her phone back on, I decided we would have to work on the absolute complete basics. The buttons completely fazed her, and even explaining the Home Screen was overwhelming. Mrs D explained she was a typical technophobe, and she had several health conditions that meant she was easily emotionally and mentally exhausted, and the thought of learning to use this fancy technology was making her anxious.

It was quite something. I suppose you forget how unusual some of our modern technology can be for people who have grown up and lived their lives without it. I take for granted the fact I can carry a map, a camera, an encyclopaedia, a photo album, a diary and everything else in my pocket; and sending a quick text or making a quick google search seems so simple.

With that in mind, Mrs D and I went through how to make a call. We talked through the buttons, and I’d used my terrible art skills to draw a diagram for Mrs D to refer back to, so she knew what each button meant. I also discovered a new patience I never know I possessed! We then practised making calls - Mrs D was able to type in my number and with a triumphant push of a button, she held the phone to her ear and I answered mine from across the room.

‘Hello!’ I said down the line, and Mrs D burst into excited giggles. I asked her to hang up on me, and she referred to her written guide and managed to do just that. It was wonderful to see how much joy it brought to Mrs D, just being able to make a simple call! We practised a few times over, and then called it a day.

Mrs D held the off button down, and the Samsung made a song and shut itself down. It didn’t seem like very much at all, but Mrs D was absolutely delighted with her new knowledge, and loved the little written guide I’d made for her. That was surely a little ray of sunshine on this otherwise quite miserable day.