“Oy, now she’s getting an Apple Watch!” Those were the first words Ines uttered after reading my musing, Serendipity Is No Accident.

Who Is Ines?

I would describe Ines as part Albert Einstein and part Mother Earth. She is extremely intelligent, disciplined, organized, strong, determined, devoted and beyond patient. There aren’t enough adjectives to adequately describe her. Ines is a nurturing loving mother of three, one a special needs child and she laughs. She’s the type of person who can never stay angry.

Her DNA test revealed she is part French, part European and Ecuadorian. She was born in Ecuador and lived in South America for part of her childhood years. It was serendipity that brought us together. She moved to Chicago and became involved with the Good family and I married Sheldon Good.

How Ines and I Met

When we met several years ago, within five seconds we knew we liked one another. I could feel it and I knew she could too. Remember, darlings what I explained not long ago: when you meet a woman for the first time you know in five seconds whether true sisterhood exists and if you like her. There is a certain click. You also know whether the chemistry is good. We clicked; we knew.

It was years later that we met again in Garden Valley, Idaho at my daughter-in-law Jami Good’s home. Ines had been as a friend and helper of Jami since she was widowed. For good reason, Ines is Mother Earth personified.

We reacquainted in a saltwater pool and within five seconds, I experienced the same warm feelings I had in the past. I knew she did too.

Long story short, she joined the Honey Good Team. She is what every owner of a company dreams of having on their team for a thousand and one reasons. Two of those reasons are patience and determination.

Why She Shrieked Oy When Reading My Musing

With wisdom comes knowledge, especially over the age of 50. However, like all things in life, one cannot be a jack of all trades–unless you are Ines. What she doesn’t know, she learns.

I truly cannot comprehend how she finds time to handle all of her responsibilities and deal with my lack of technological skills. I understand in-depth terminology, but I have trouble with the mechanics.

That is the reason she yelped “Oy!” when she read I am adding an Apple Watch to my repertoire of computer products. She is my Albert Einstein, my professor who tries daily to get me up to speed. And she continually nurtures me through processes I never seem to fully comprehend.

Walking Me Through the Latest Apps

If it is not one thing, it’s another.

Yesterday, I learned to use a new application called Slack. The company recently went public so for you darlings interested in the stock market, I am giving you a tip. Slack is a great tool for companies; it takes the place of emails.

I would describe it as texting with private departments for each team member. With emails, messages tend to get lost in the shuffle. However with Slack, there is a general department but there are also separate hubs for each person on the team to contact a team member about a project.

I love Slack and I told Ines this morning that I am going to become the Slack Queen at Honey Good. I think when my team members read this story, they may cringe. Fear not, as Slack is akin to texting and I am a pro in that field with all of my grands, girlfriends and team members.

Inspiring Me to be My Natural Self

There is not a day that I don’t question Ines about something related to my computer needs. I always find myself having trouble with this or that. I cannot remember how to create a PDF, I lose an important email, the apps on my laptop won’t function or my password vanishes from my Instagram yet again so I cannot get in.

True story: I have 43 separate passwords, maybe more!

 

Questions that I regularly ask Ines include some of the following: do I put my camera phone in portrait or landscape orientation? How do I take a video when I am holding America’s leash in my other hand as he pulls me down Michigan Avenue? She always reminds me, “Just do the video, Honey. It is better to be natural.”

Laughing Our Way Through the Days

As I sit frustrated in front of my beautiful MacBookPro, Ines talks me through problem after problem. She speaks calmly throughout our conversations. Nevertheless, I know she is biting her tongue and would like to scream out in frustration. She knows I would like to do the same because we are both lady bosses.

There are times I tell her in jest that I am going to throw my laptop out the window from the 71st floor and jump too. Then we both start to laugh. Because we are determined women who see our glasses as half full, we always get back to the business of the day.

A Day in the Life

After you read this conversation between the two of us, you will understand what we go through together.

It’s 5:00 pm. “Ines, my computer is not syncing with my phone and I cannot find WhatsApp. What could be going on? I also cannot open Safari or Windows. And I still need to write my story!” I exclaim.

“Honey, if it is not listed in Finder within your Applications hub, you have to redownload it to your desktop from the App store,” she notes.

“I cannot upload my story to publish on the blog because Safari won’t open–not even on my iPhone!” My frustration escalates.

“Honey, breathe and stay calm. Check the wifi settings on your phone. Then open Chrome and copy and paste the WordPress URL into your browser and it will open up the WordPress website. From there, you can upload your story,” she states calmly.

“You want me to do what?”

“You can do it!” says Ines encouragingly.

Our Conversation Continues

An unknown male voice suddenly begins speaking, “It is now 5:00 pm.”

“Who is that?” Ines asks.

“It’s my computer. A man’s voice recently started to tell me the time every hour on the hour and I don’t know how this happened,” I welp. “I cannot get rid of him!”

“Go to your clock settings and unblock that option.”

“I cannot be bothered with this now because my story disappeared from view.”

“Quick Honey, use Command Z.”

“It worked. Phew! Thank heavens my story is back,” I exhale loudly. “Thank you for helping me, darling Ines. Did I tell you I am planning on buying an Apple Watch?”

“Are you sure you want to add another device to your Apple arsenal?” Ines questions.

“Well you have one and we will have fun using them together!”

“Oy! Now she’s getting an Apple Watch,” Ines shrieks.

Our conversation trails off and we both sign off for the evening.

Who in your life is your Ines, someone who is part Albert Einstein part Mother Earth that continues to save the day every day? I would love to learn more about the friendships and sisterhoods you’ve formed. Share any details within the comments below or on Facebook. 

If you enjoyed this piece, please subscribe to my email list. When I post a daily story, you will receive it in your inbox. SUBSCRIBE HERE!