When I Was YOUR Age I Had To…
I probably heard that line from my dad a thousand times while I was growing up when I would complain about something. Did EVERYONE’S dad walk five miles to school in the snow?
Last month at my 40th high school reunion (it was supposed to be in 2020, but, well, you know…) some classmates and I were retelling old stories and were amazed that we were somehow able to communicate without cellphones, email, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, etc. Our only “social media” was the phone in the kitchen with the long cord. I got to thinking about how different the lives of the 18-year-old students of the Glynn Academy Class of 2022 are compared to our lives as the Class of 1980. Here are some things I’m not sure these kids would even understand.
Meeting up with a friend at the movies and having no way to communicate once you’ve left the house.
Taking photos and then waiting for them to be developed to see if they turned out okay.
Finding places while traveling without GPS navigation.
Turning the dial on the TV to change the channel.
Even worse, having to properly time getting a drink and snack before the commercial break on TV ended.
Or NEVER being able to see a show because you missed it when it aired on TV.
Checking the pay phone change return for any forgotten coins.
Having to buy the entire album to get the one song you liked, or else wait for it to come on the radio and try to record it.
Being unable to read a letter or note because you can’t decipher someone else’s handwriting.
Looking through the Yellow Pages for a telephone number.
Hanging out at the Coast Guard Station or Gascoigne Bluff.
As the reunion began to wind down, I noticed classmates taking selfies on their iPhones, and trading cell numbers to keep in touch. I heard someone yell, “Party at the Coast Guard Station!” I wonder how many of my classmates had to GPS it!
As you gather with your old friends or your families to enjoy turkey dinners and tailgates, oyster roasts and football, our EIL family wishes you all a safe and Happy Thanksgiving!
