Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?

Not me! Not me! Not me!
 
Well, sometimes I am.

 A "wolf", of course, can be anything that frightens us or holds us back. As a result, we have many different "wolves" come in and out of our lives. We can run or we can conquer, it is as simple as that.
 
 
 

The most recent "wolf" in my life was a color laser printer. Seems simple enough, right? Buy new printer, print lovely things. But no. I let words like "wi-fi", "wireless","network", "e-print", "print from anywhere", etc. paralyze me. My old laser printer never made such claims. Plug and print was all it took. That printer went to the Big Computer Bone Yard in the Sky a few years ago. I mourned for a bit and then forgot about it because I did not really need one, until now.


The new printer sat in the middle of the floor for a week before I decided to stare that "wolf" down.  Within half an hour I was printing my first document, a color tri-fold brochure for this blog. Did I feel foolish?
 
No, not really. I've let fear of technology freeze my brain cells many times. Past experience has taught me that something "simple" is usually going to end up taking a full day and night and the result is usually going to end up with my grey cells laying at the base of my skull in a pool of sludge. This time I tried a new approach, which was to see what I can do on my own, and if it is too far above my skill level, to call in a pro (aka son-in-law Ben) to rescue me (as he has done many times in the past).
 
 
My new printer is not hooked up to the network, nor does it have a wireless connection to all computers and tablets. I have no idea how to print something on it when I am away from home.
 
So, how does it work? Simple. Remembering the "plug and print" philosophy of my old printer, I hooked up the new printer via USB. Sure, it only works with the computer it is plugged into, but that is enough for now. When techie pro Ben comes this way, I'll hire him to do all that other stuff for me. Meanwhile, I am a happy camper printing documents, brochures, business cards and the like. All have a professional look. And, best of all, I am saving my expensive photo ink for photos. YAY!
 
What is the point of this post, you may be asking.
 
My answer is, "bravery".  No matter what we desire to accomplish, we need to be brave enough to see it happen, or else it just sits. It could be facing down ever-changing technology, it could be deciding to plant a garden large enough to feed our families for a season or even a year, it could be inventing a new way to do something. What "is" is does not matter, the process is always the same, which is to follow Nike's advice and "just do it".
 
Much, much more than just printing had come from hooking up this wonderful machine. I am now encouraged to work on a picture book project that has been on the back burner for several years. I set up a three-ring binder to hold the project page by page, and the laser printer does such a good job of printing pics as well as text that I can hardly wait to add new pages to my "book".
 
Wolf? What wolf? It's long gone....until another appears, that is. Then I'll have to hone my ocular precision again. Hopefully, that won't happen for a long time, as my ocular devices are busy looking at words fly from my brain to my computer monitor via fingers. Who said that I am not multi-talented? LOL
 
Marcheta *braveheart