He can’t eat. He can’t sleep. Sometimes he can’t think about anything else. He daydreams about all the time he wants to spend with her and all the things they’ll do together – the fantasies they’ll dream up, the worlds they’ll traverse. We go on a family walk together but we know what’s on his mind… She’s beautiful; she’s black; she’s quiet but so very intelligent. She came into his life unexpectedly – an introduction from an acquaintance. Her name? Dell.
Yes, we may be isolated from mainland attractions but we are by no means immune to addicting technology here on Orcas Island. Perhaps especially because we are isolated. Not to mention, every child here is used to seeing phenomenal nature in all its glory; it’s normal. But Minecraft? Roblox? Oh, the allure.
Our son holds a one-hour “Tech Time” at the Orcas Senior Center in order to teach seniors how to use their devices. They come in and he solves their issues quickly and humbly, and a woman asked if he would help her with the various devices she has at home. After a few hours of helping her one day, she handed him a beautiful new laptop computer (“Dell”) that was too big for her. He’d been dreaming of saving up for a computer and this was like winning the lottery.
He still dreams about using it all day long because he’d love to lose himself in the ether of virtual reality but unfortunately, we value being together, reading books, learning, laughing, conversing, exploring, adventuring, and, well, real life. Full-time Dell will have to wait.
The photo above shows our son introducing Granny to Dell. The photo to the right is of a book I just happened to notice at the library and bring home. We don’t spend much time on screens at home, though our son would love it if we did!
