In the middle of learning – by Donald F. Gately

So, back to my Kindle. It’s dead again. It’s not dead because I’m using it so much. Regrettably, it’s dead because I haven’t been using it.  Which means I haven’t been reading lately. My Kindle has sat neglected in my briefcase.  Of course, the battery died.

This prompts a search through the “drawer of many wires.”  You have one of these, don’t you? It’s the drawer where you put all the wires you use to charge your devices: your phone, your kids’ phones, a Mophie, your tablet, and your laptop. You also store wires for a flashlight, your bicycle light, and cordless lights attached via a magnet under your counters. Your Apple watch and your portable hard drive are charged with these too. Just about everything in our lives has some sort of rechargeable battery, including… your Kindle.  And all of these are different types of connectors.  USB. USB-C. Micro-USB. Lightning Charger. USB Mini.  Please don’t think for a minute I know the names of these things. I had to look them up. And God forbid the Kindle should use the same cord that charges your phone. No, it uses that other type. At this point, it only works on the Kindle and maybe some medical device I will need in 10 years. When I find that damn wire, I better hold onto it.

And it doesn’t matter, because when I can’t sleep in the middle of the night and my Kindle is not charged, even if I find the cord that works for the Kindle, and believe me, I’m not going to locate it, it’s not going to do me any good,  Because I can’t wait around all drowsy-like while my Kindle charges so that I can read for a half hour to fall asleep.

That’s absurd.

(continued)