Today is my birthday. I’m not ignoring my “special day” but neither am I embracing it. Not for any reason in particular, it is just that at my advanced age of 51, celebration is saved for things like good naps and regularity. If you look at my Facebook page, it will say I am 39 – not for reasons of vanity or subjective acknowledgement, but more because men over 51 get bombarded by Facebook with ads for Cialis, Adult Diapers, and other age related items. At 39 – the FB commercials are all about living life to its fullest and hipster cool stuff – like beards and boots.
Last night at the board meeting we started using this new app called Board Effect. It has all the board documents on the tablet – supposedly “green” and efficient. It’s maddening to tell you the truth. (“Steve, you’re showing your age.”) In the hospital for the past 10 years, it is all about getting rid of paper and having everything electronic. We don’t take physical photos anymore. They are easily held on my phone (until I accidently delete them all). Books are on kindle, movies are ordered on our TV’s … no videos or DVD’s for the most part anymore … I MISS MY STUFF.
When I was (really) 39 we didn’t have Facebook or smart phones or electronic charts in the hospital/clinics (to the same extent). We were just getting started on texting and all the internet stuff. We looked at people and acknowledged each other at the malls and at the airport. We used highlighters on our documents and wrote stuff down. We were forced to be more conscious with our actions and behaviors because people were looking at US not at their PHONES.
The good ol’ days of 2003? I think I will stay 39 for awhile.
-Steve Simonin, President & CEO
