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The Big Black Box
by
Tammy Bechtel
It invaded our home like a sickness. That big black box, just sitting there -- taunting me, yet looking quite harmless. Sure, it could do great things, like create and store many documents, or calculate many numbers simultaneously. It could even be connected to the world through something called, "The Internet."
What use did I have for such a thing? Oh sure -- I could play games on it and waste time. But with everything going on in my life, I didn't have the time to play games.
But it just kept calling to me -- "Come play with me."
"I want to show you what I can do."
"No! You scare me! I might break you or something."
"You won't break me -- I'm tough! Come over here. I've got an awesome game for you."
Slowly, I confronted my fears and began playing on that black box. Day in, day out, I spent more and more time playing on the black box. But eventually, I grew bored with the game and started looking around to discover what else that box could do. I was amazed!
There were programs that could create professional looking documents, calculate math problems instantly, and store hundreds of names and addresses. Goodness me! I couldn't believe that something so little could do so much! Then one fine day, our black box was connected to the rest of the world, on that nifty little thing called the "Internet." Because of that, I found much more to do on that black box than just playing games. I found places to get free stuff and opportunities for work at home jobs.
However, much to my disappointment, I discovered that there are just as many, if not more, scam artists waiting for unsuspecting victims to give them money. Fortunately, however, I only lost a few dollars -- maybe under $50. I soon realized that if I wanted to work at home, I had to create my own job. I used that black box, and the "Internet," to analyze my skills and interests in order to figure out what I wanted to focus on. I realized that I wanted to pursue my lifelong dream of becoming a freelance writer.
The black box, with its "Internet" connection, helped me learn the business and to refine my skills. After a couple of years, the black box taunted me, saying, "I told you so! I knew you wanted to play with me!"
"Yes, but you sure take up a lot of my time."
Smiling, he just replied, "That isn't my problem now, is it?"
We got along well for a long time after that. But one sad day, he just died without even saying goodbye. I was so sad; at least until the white box came into my life. Since I already knew how to use the black box, the white box and I became fast friends. She even earns me a few hundred dollars every month. So, if you have a "black box" invading your home, don't ignore its cries for attention. You might be pleasantly surprised!
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