Today is my grandson Kaleb’s tenth birthday... a day that he’s been looking forward to with great anticipation for months on end.The excitement of reaching double digits elevates this particular birthday into one of monumental status. I recently “celebrated” my sixty-ninth, albeit with considerably less fanfare since I now appreciate life as more of a day by day experience.
My grandfather passed away on my 10th, so my party was bittersweet.
As I sit here and reflect on memories of those days and the years to follow, I’m truly amazed by the many drastic changes that have come about in the way we live and how we go about our daily lives,
The year was 1959.
Automobiles had big fins and lots of chrome...the ‘59 Caddy is regarded as a vanguard of style and beauty to this day. My dad owned a 1956 Mercury Monterey, a sporty two door sedan with whitewall tires. I can still remember my first ride in it...the roar of the dual tailpipes, exclaiming the V-8 power under the hood... wind blowing through my hair. My dad took us to the open road where we reached a mind blowing speed of 100 mph.
Seatbelts? We didn’t have no stinking seatbelts...no car seats either.
In the days to come, Dad would let me push on the gas pedal as he was driving but the best was when he let me sit on his lap and hold the steering wheel. I loved riding with him.
One of our main equipment options was an an AM radio. We hadn’t yet dreamed of eight track players,cassettes,CDs or MP3’s,.. let alone the multi-funtional touch screen navigation surround sound back-up camera AM-FM bluetooth connected “radios” that we now enjoy.
Yukon 2-1437 was our phone number. It had no connection to any other device.
Our family had big black, heavy dial-up telephone. We were on what was known as a “party line”. When you picked up the “receiver” to place a call you would either hear a dial tone or possibly a neighbors conversation. Private lines were considered a luxury. If you needed to call long distance, you would dial “0” and the operator would make your connection. If you waited until after 6 PM the charges were reduced.
Simply put...simplicity was the order of the day. We had no area codes,zip codes,or universal product codes. The headset was connected by a cord. Wireless? Check back in 30 years or so. Video or chat? You must be dreaming.
Our phone had no gaming capability.It contained no apps. It was not 4G connected since the internet was 40 years in the future, but above all...Kids did not have their own phones
If we wanted to play a game we played “crazy eights” or maybe “hide and seek”. My brother and I spent many afternoons making roads in the dirt for driving our toy cars, Mudball wars were always fun and when we were done, we would run naked through the backyard sprinkler.
What a waste of energy...
I imagine that our daily activities could now be presented as a video game that could be enjoyed by the user without having to leave the comfort of their recliner chair.
JFK WAS SOON TO BECOME OUR PRESIDENT
I had a small record player for listening to my 45 rpm recordings of Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis. The Beatles wouldn’t grace our shores for five more years.
Today we have Donald Trump.
The day following his election, Kaleb was in tears, worrying that some of his friends would face deportation. I never had to worry over such a depressing possibility when I was 10.
I pray every day for strength, guidance, and love for my Grandchildren. I wish we would have done a better job of providing an encouraging future for them.
My birthday wish for Kaleb is that he will someday reflect on these times with happy thoughts and that he will always carry my love within in his heart. As I sit here today, I cannot begin to express the depth of my love for him. His legacy is just beginning,
The rest of my life is icing on the cake.
I can only imagine how his life will blossom and what memories he will pass on to his grandchildren. I feel certain that whatever path he takes wili be a good one.
God Bless You, and Happy Birthday Mister K
