Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/348392
COMMENTARY I have a new tab- let. I am using it to write the first draft of this article. It was a present from my son, and I will be forever grateful to him. The tablet was not exactly a present in the literal sense of its being a special item I requested, nor is it the equivalent of a fantasy trip on a yacht. It was more like a donation. The company for which my son works distrib- uted beautiful, navy blue, 8-inch by 12-inch padded writing tablets to its managers as thanks for a job well done. And I could not be happier with it. Yes, the firm's logo is embossed on the cover, but I have chosen to ignore it. I am sure my son did not want to just dispose of this well-designed and expensive-looking product, even though he knew he would never use it. After all, this is the Cyber Age, and it seems every thought on every person's mind gets immediately force- fed into a PC or a smartphone, or at a minimum, a tweet. On the other hand, I think best when I write everything down on lined paper, dou- ble-spaced, with lots of room for edits. I like the feel of the paper and I like to watch a page fill with my writing. The act of putting down my thoughts on paper is even more natural for me than hitting letters on a keyboard to compose a thought. I am used to the note- book format and I am comforted by it. However, this very user-friendly tablet that sits silently on a chair in my bed- room has, surprisingly, become like a journal — a kind of con- duit for my thoughts and also an easy way for me to record a day's events. Without question, using it is much more ther- apeutic than simply hitting a keyboard. I think having a beautiful writing tablet is a wonder- ful way to encourage and reinforce the pleasure of writing. With all this blank paper around me waiting to be used, I just might write my memoirs. % NEW TECHNOLOGY MAY BE AN AID, BUT NEVER BE A REPLACEMENT, FOR SOME WAYS OF DOING THINGS By Harriet Cuthbert Contributing Writer OPINION Sarasota News Leader July 18, 2014 Page 88