A Rich Life: What inventions had an impact on my life?

The invention of the light bulb by Edison had a big impact on my life even though it was long before I was born. It is said that before the light bulb people slept an average of eleven hours a night. Now people try for seven to eight hours but often don’t reach that. That is my goal as well and when I am in the seven to eight-hour zone I definitely am more refreshed for the day. But imagine what it would be like to sleep from sundown to sun-up. That would be pretty cool and probably a lot more healthy. But I’m not expecting that to happen any time soon. Thanks, Tom, for the light bulb and for changing the way we sleep.  

The computer age has happened during my life. I used to have paper files and a typewriter but now I write some and keep some journals but mostly I use the computer for communication with others and for work projects. I don’t really want people to give me information on paper because I want it all online now. However, my file cabinet is still used at times when I get encouraging notes on paper and I still have files of cards from my family members and some others. I have the cards my girls made me over the years. Nice to pull them out and see them. 

Of course, another invention that followed after the computer is the internet. The internet lets me communicate quickly with people for work and more importantly lets me be in contact with my girls even when they are far away. I am so grateful for Skype which lets me not only talk with my girls but see them as well. It lets us all be together virtually at times which I appreciate even though there is nothing like being there in person. 

I also appreciate the invention of my Fitbit. It lets me know the time and keeps track of my steps. I like the fact that I can know how much I have walked during the day and over a period of time as well.  

Of course, my Fitbit also tracks my sleep for me which reminds me that it doesn’t get up to eleven hours when it tracks me … because of the invention of the lightbulb. Thanks again Mr. Edison for your invention that still keeps me sleep-deprived, but now I can know exactly how much.

Golly Gee

The faint vibration of the Fitbit on my wrist slowly awakened me from a restless night of sleep. I hit my arm against the couch over and over as I was mad at myself for not deleting that silent messenger of death, or Silent Alarm as it was officially called. Then I remembered that not only was it buzzing me to get up it would also tell me how poor my sleep was last night.

Time Asleep

3 hr 14 min

Sleep Schedule

2:17 am bedtime

6:30 am wake up

Sleep Quality

6 times awake

17 times restless

59 min awake/restless

Well golly gee, isn’t that just the most important information that I needed to know today. I was reminded of sleep that I didn’t get and vibrated awake to go to the old job that I no longer had. I was disgusted in so many ways, not the least of which that I didn’t know how to swear even when life was falling apart. Golly gee? Who says that? Who even thinks that? But golly gee I do apparently.

I got up from the couch and went to the bathroom, cause golly gee in real life that happens every morning, and walked into my bedroom where my bed was perfectly made, even though I wasn’t, and walked into my beautiful walk-in closet to pull out the suit of the day and the shirt and tie that went with it. I changed into the matching underwear and socks and got dressed and walked out my condo door and to the coffee shop down the street. 

I looked in a display window as I walked and noticed that my hair looked bad and I had forgotten to shave. I just kept walking for my coffee because golly gee a bad hair day was the least of my worries and forgetting to shave would fit right in with the rest of my morning. Then I looked down and saw that though I had on a great pair of socks that I didn’t have any shoes on.

I stopped abruptly right there and stared down at my feet. I was wearing a suit and tie but no shoes. The perfect combination for the day after being told that I would no longer work the job that I had trained for my whole life.

It wasn’t even a firing. Getting fired would have been more dramatic and I could have gotten mad with everyone else that I worked with. Instead, the whole company had been shut down without notice by a hostile takeover. They hadn’t seemed hostile when they wanted me to show them the financials or what our new product line would be. I was a Vice President in the company, just a guy looking to move up who thought that he would just play along week after week, month after month, and give them what they wanted and then I would at least have my same old job no matter what happened. Wrong!

Golly gee was I wrong. I slapped my head as I thought that again and a woman walking by on the sidewalk moved away as fast as she could and who could blame her. Who wouldn’t after seeing a guy slap himself who was wearing a suit and tie but no shoes? Was it really the lack of shoes with a suit that bothered her? Or maybe she could read minds and knew that I kept saying golly gee over and over in my mind. Was I saying it out loud and didn’t realize it? Well, golly gee I just didn’t know.

I walked in and stood in line for my coffee, paid for it, got it, and then walked on down the street to where I used to work as Vice President. I really liked that job. I was made for that job. I got to be creative and also deal with the financial side of making it all pay for itself. It was a dream job for a guy like me who liked numbers and dreaming up new products and bringing them to reality.

As I walked I passed by a few of my co-workers, well former co-workers now, who were standing around talking to each other. I smiled and nodded but they just turned away and kept talking with each other. Well, golly gee, yesterday we were friends and now because we’re not working at the same place anymore you won’t give me the time of day. I was sure going to miss them and my old job.

As I arrived at the building where I had been Vice President just the day before the door opened and I walked in to look around. It looked different somehow. A man walked up to me and seeing that I didn’t have any shoes on just bent down and took his own shoes off. Then he smiled and said it looked like there was going to be a change in the dress code. I nodded and said it looked that way. 

I was going to miss my old job. I had to admit that, to come to grips with it. Time would now be taken up with financial matters and the big picture. The job of a corporate President. My creative side would have to be left at the door, along with my shoes. The door with the new company name on it. Golly G.