Rosebud

 

Many years ago, I learned to unfold and refold huge paper road maps. I could read them, too. I learned to drive with a stick shift (I never quite learned to like doing it). I can read and write cursive. I spent many hours practicing my autograph, in case I one day became famous. When I got married, I practiced my new signature until I’d perfected it. Today, I sign a rude squiggle with my index finger. My grammar and spelling were beyond reproach. These days, no one cares. I knew how to use a cash register, before they went digital. No one in my typing class had a higher WPM. I could write thank-you cards and business letters. I learned to write checks and balance a checkbook. I could use a card catalog to find the right library book. Sadly, the world I in which I live is not the world for which my education prepared me.