An Unexpected

Whether anticipated or abrupt, change is rarely easy

Even when necessary or veiled with a cloak of welcome and greeted with pretense or bravado, it is difficult.

All those complicate emotions swirled in my mind tonight when I learned of an upcoming change in our lovely dining room.

The designated area is always an oasis of serenity. All of the tables are immaculately covered with varying selections of pastel table linen and adorned daily with seasonal flowers.

And of course the friendly faces of the diners add to the atmosphere. The staff is normally composed of young men and women. Often they are students grateful for employment while continuing their education. Their combined youth adds to the intrigue of the dining experience for we who wistfully remember ours.

However, soon there wil be a newcomer to the well loved staff, a robot.

He, she or it will undoubtedly be precise and accurate, rarely, if ever,making a mistake or spilling the sugar, but…….

I wonder.

Must I pretend not to miss the smile of the young server if I speak her name or my own reaction when she inquires about my grandson?

Will I, or do I, need to be welcoming to the newcomer? Do robots have names or numbers?

I doubt they need uniforms, but I will certainly learn about that soon.

I am confident the new addition will be efficient, probably even more so than the human who in an unknown span of time may be eventually replaced.

And I also believe the robot (he, she or it) will always remember I like my coffee black and caffeinated. However, I must not expect any inquiries about my new book or discussions about the weather.

After all, what is an appropriate topic of conversation or with robots? Obviously, none.

Ah yes, change, even when necessary and to some degree anticipated, is challenging.

And probably it is also one of the things that keeps life so very interesting even when the ground seems to temporarily tremble.

Viva la change!!!!!!

(I hope)