Sweeping up the past with Ivy the Roomba
Technology Changes, Kids Get Sassy, and I Miss Blockbuster
A couple of years ago, Ellen and I took on a really cool project—we restored a historic home in our community. The Lanning House, built in 1873, was charming but in desperate need of some TLC. I won’t bore you with the restoration details, but just know it was a massive job getting it ready for Airbnb guests. And like losing weight, the work doesn’t stop once you reach your goal—you have to maintain it. That means cleaning. A lot of cleaning. Because, let’s be honest, a dirty Airbnb is just weird—and leads to bad reviews.
Keeping the Lanning House clean takes a ton of sweeping and mopping. I swore I’d never get one of those fancy-schmancy self-sweeping, self-mopping gadgets. But Ellen wanted one… so, of course, we got one. And the lesson of the day: don’t swear. You’ll end up with a robot vacuum.
We named her Ivy—the name we had picked out if we ever had a girl. Ellen had a fun time programming Ivy to clean the house (keep in mind, we’re not exactly tech wizards). Being the old man I am, I now find myself cheering Ivy on like she’s one of the kids. Especially when she gets stuck or can’t find her charging station. Poor thing tries so hard.
Technology has come a long way. We now have vacuum robots. I remember cassette tapes, VHS, phones with cords, and trips to Blockbuster. ("Be Kind, Please Rewind.") Yeah—I know—I just dated myself. But rewind a generation, and people were still using outhouses. Go back another, and discovering fire was probably the highlight of the decade.
Needless to say, kids today have no clue how easy they have it. They've never had to memorize a phone number or experience the rage of plugging in a VHS tape only to find someone didn’t rewind it.
And since I’m already ranting like an old man, let me include my own kids. Specifically my oldest, Isaiah. After losing some weight, I decided to surprise Ellen by shaving my beard and keeping just the goatee—like when we first got married. The beard had been my way of hiding my chubby cheeks for over a decade. But I was finally feeling confident.
That confidence vanished quickly when I asked Isaiah what he thought.
He looked at me and said, “I like it. You can’t see as many grey hairs now.”
Thanks, buddy.
Your friend,
Dr. Mosier
P.S. What’s the biggest technology change you’ve seen in your lifetime? Leave a comment or write back—I’d love to hear. And if you’re on a weight loss journey, let us know so we can be praying and cheering you on too.