Sunday feel good blog : Chuck Ferris of Dribble

Chuck Ferris, 83, lost his right leg to a German landmine during World War II. He became a school teacher thinking that would be easier with one leg than a news photographer, as he had planned.

Today Dhyana Levey of the Merced Sun-Star reports Chuck, retired and living in a small studio at a care home, reaches out to touch others via his blog Dribble. Chuck’s been publishing Dribble, titled after a column he wrote for his high school newspaper, for five years. His blog is an ongoing online collection of his observations, past and current.

From Chuck, who’s always wanted to keep up with technology:

It’s a wonderful way to get out of here. Once we get confined, we can’t get out that often. But with this I can keep in touch………[S]ince no one here reads it, I guess I can write about whatever I want.

And it’s working per Levey. There’s a ‘revolving door of visitors from all over the world — keep[ing] a weather eye on his thoughts, memories and adventures in the care home.

And Chuck’s not alone.

The blogging trend has mushroomed, said Christina Clem, program coordinator for communications for AARP. Everyone, not just seniors, want to stay connected with people who have similar interests.

The percentage of Americans ages 65 and older using the Internet is rising, according to surveys from the Pew Internet & American Life Project, a nonprofit that follows Internet trends. In 2007, 32 percent of them were surfing online, up from 22 percent in 2004.

I’ll bet there’s a ton of folks with parents and grandparents in care facilities who would welcome their loved ones blogging. Not to mention, the observations and wisdom society is losing by not picking from people who have years of life experience over us.

As Levey says of Chuck, ‘…[T]here’s one place he can hop around like a gymnast and scream like a banshee. He uses a mouse and keyboard instead of his feet and vocal cords.’

Update: Wow, just found out from Chuck’s blog, there’s a YouTube video of Chuck’s interview with Dhyana Levey. Here you go.