My gratitude for the invention of the home computer is boundless. It has preserved my sanity, and kept me connected.I am convinced that without

it there would be no Shades of Gray column.

This month marks my fifth anniversary of writing this column for the North County Times. Though I had written commentary for the paper occasionally

over the years and for the San Marcos Courier as early as 1983, this column has been thoroughly satisfying and fun to write. My mission from the

beginning has been to bring you, my readers, up-to-date on the issues facing us, and our friends and neighbors past 60! Today, of course, as some of us stretch toward 90 and beyond; the issues of health and well being remain the same, yet they seem to be more complex.

Five years is but a wisp of time in our lives' totality. I believe that through these years the computer has prevented my mind from turning into jello. I remember how hard I fought the idea when my (hard of hearing) brother begged me to buy a computer so we could e-mail each other and thus stop struggling with phone conversations he barely heard. Today, it is my salvation. It keeps me busy and alert.

I read our newspapers searching for ideas and receive suggestions from you and others involved in community projects I should focus upon. Each of you

sends me off in a specific direction that inevitably leads to research on the Internet. Three years ago, I wrote about a woman of 80 who used her computer to keep in touch with friends around the world. My husband sits at his to enjoy

reading the prestigious New York Times and thus get another spin on this spinning world of ours. Many of our friends share thoughts, ideas and stories with us. We keep in touch with our circle of friends and family: pictures of family toddlers enable us to follow their growth and development almost as if they lived next door, although one lives in Amsterdam, another is moving to Australia! Those pictures are vital to my mental health.

I have made many new friends as a result of my computer research: workers in the ranks of health and educational agencies, scores of professionals who are eager to lend their talents and support to keep us, seniors, healthy, well and happy.

Sitting at my computer, stringing words together is my idea of focused relaxation. And now I have learned that we actually can improve our health with computer use! Dr. Herbert Keating, a Connecticut resident and member of the American Geriatric Society, tells the story of a patient named Joe.

When asked what item he would take from his home if he had to evacuate in an emergency, Joe, 81, stated, "I would take my computer, she is my girlfriend; I

couldn't live without her!"

Dr. Keating understands what Joe is saying, "Technology is a great way for seniors to exercise their brains while opening

doors to new and exciting hobbies. "

According to the doctor, "using technology can actually make new neural connections in the brain, which in turn helps to expand memory."

He provides a list of benefits that accrue with computer use. It is a challenge! How many times have you tried to find the precise phrase the Internet needs to lead you to the answer you seek? Technology: cell phone, computer and musical devices all have the ability to ease pain by distracting us from those daily arthritic

twinges, potential migraines or just the plain old tired feelings. We sit down, concentrate and forget that stuff. Further, my computer helps my coordination. I know that navigating the mouse gets easier the longer I sit in front of the computer. Technology

certainly can offset the stress of some everyday tasks: ordering groceries over the Internet for home delivery can eliminate what is a burdensome and

often impossible responsibility for many. I understand that there are digital medication organizers. I have never seen one, but it sure would facilitate my weekly job of organizing our daily pills.

So, the next time your spouse or partner complains, "You are spending too much time on the computer", remind him/her that you are exercising your

brain and sharpening your senses!

Agnes Herman is a freelance writer living in Lake San Marcos. Contact her at (760) 744-6878 or aggherman@sbcglobal.net.