Waking Up To A Dark Morning...Computer-Wise

This morning I casually opened up my laptop, and...

Nothing.

No lighted screen,

No lighted keyboard,

Nothing.

I use my laptop, as do millions--possibly billions--of people everyday. It's like flipping on the light switch when you enter a room. The fact that lights go on is as normal as breathing. We're so used to it that when the power goes out, you still hit the light switch and expect illumination.

This morning, I expected the Mac to obey my command and fire up. But it didn't. I pushed the Power button several times. Nothing. That's when mild panic set in. This proves I rely too much on technology. I mean, my computer's like my right arm. I need it for this blog, for my writing, for my work with FanX, to post my daily picture...so many things. You hear about computers dying all the time. But all my Macs have been phenomenal--my most recent included. The fact that it didn't start up this morning was as foreign to me as walking into a room and hitting the switch in a home without power.

After it was obvious I couldn't get it started, I logged onto my iPad and scheduled a time to take my laptop to the Apple Store in the afternoon. I tried to figure out what I'd have to do to accomplish all my daily computer duties without my laptop.

Then, I thought I ought to contact Apple Customer Service. I know with PCs, there are tricks to re-start a computer. I thought maybe it's the same with Macs.

Turns out, there is.

The Apple Customer Service was fantastic at helping me re-start my laptop. I pushed--at the same time--the Shift/Control/Alt/Power buttons for ten seconds. That did the trick. I breathed a huge sigh of relief.

One day--could be tomorrow, could be in ten years--the computer will die. It's the way of things. I hope if/when it does happen, I'll be more prepared than I was today.