LIFE HAPPENS

What happened to those experiences of a lifetime?

Posted Sunday, September 13, 2020 1:00 am

GARY MATHENY

I like quoting Bob Dylan, “times ... they are changing,” and I was reminded of that recently in a reply to an email I sent someone.

Times ... they are changing, very rapidly, and I must admit it is difficult at times to keep up with.

It seems like the lazy, hazy days of summer have become the fast track to a supersonic, hold-on-to-your seat highway to a new year.

As a kid growing up in the 1950s, time seemed to drag, especially if something you wanted to do or a big event was in the future.

My memory reminds me of statements such as, “When my next birthday gets here I want to get this," or, "When the fair comes to town I’m going to ride the ferris wheel.”

Mom would always say something like, “That’s great Honey, but that’s a long time away.”

"A long time away" are words an anxious kid never wants to hear.

Long-awaited events were special, anything worth having is worth working for or maybe waiting for could be injected into that quote.

Times were easier in the 1950s. People were friendlier and little things meant so much more than in today's world.

We saved for those special things that were not necessities, but considered luxuries, making them that much more special.

Don’t misunderstand. I enjoy being able to go online and find something, order it and use that plastic card that causes so many disagreements.

But something is missing in that scenario.

I was watching a commercial recently on the big screen — full-color smart TV that I can see from the front yard of the house, and something I heard made me think.

The commercial was advertising shower installations and the announcer was showing the wonderful optional shower heads.

One made you feel as though you were standing outside during a rain shower, yet another was a pulsating massage.

Heck, growing up we took baths. I didn’t know of anyone who had a shower.

To a kid a shower was just that ... a short bout of rainfall.

The announcer talked about the experience of your new shower.

Wow. I understand anything you do can be an experience, but taking a bath to me was always a necessity, especially when you started noticing girls.

My brother, who was probably about 10 years old, spent a couple of weeks with our grandparents in Alabama.

We didn’t get to see them often, usually Christmas. But our parents dropped him off for an extended visit in the summer.

Upon reclamation of the young man, my grandmother asked an unusual question of my mother, “How often does he have to get a bath?”

The reply was one every mother would make ... "every day."

Shocked, and I’m sure a little set back, my grandmother stated, ”He told me you made him get one once a week.”

Mom, I’m sure, smiled somewhat deceptively as her mind began to determine the best way to correct this misunderstanding.

Once back home, she announced that he would take two baths a day until he caught up.

Deceit never pays off.

I’m reminded of a recent episode of "Leave It To Beaver," where Mama Cleaver reminded the boys to take a bath before going to bed.

They mischievously filled the tub with water, dipped their wash rags in and then spread their towel out as they dampened them with water before hanging them up.

I guess we all have a few rattling skeletons we may not want out of the closet, but moms have a seventh sense and they usually know these things.

On my 16th birthday, my dad took me to the Department of Motor Vehicles. We didn’t use acronyms back then. We actually called them what they were. That's where I got my driver license.

After passing the test, I drove him to work and he allowed me to have the car for the rest of the day.

I experienced the joy of going to school and picking up my best girl, Brenda, and getting a Coke at McDonald's before taking her home.

It's a vivid and unforgettable memory to this day.

Most of us will remember the experience of receiving the Sears and Roebuck winter catalog and lying on the floor for hours looking at all the things we could ask Ol' Santa for when he made his trip on Christmas Eve.

One might be going through the kissing booth multiple times at the school festival at the age of 6, and requesting that one, older, most-beautiful-girl-in-the-world to give you the kiss ... a truly exceptional experience.

I have on occasion dealt with the branch of a tree or a leather strap, creating an experience I haven’t forgotten.

The birth of my children was an experience that was special.

In today’s world, everything we do is classified as an experience. It doesn’t matter whether it’s memorable or not, it's an experience.

What happened to those experiences of a lifetime?

Experiences should be something exciting, standing out in one's mind ... not just taking a shower in a fancy shower stall.

However, if you’ve not had a shower in awhile, maybe it really is an experience worth noting.

Maybe getting the bill for the new shower could be an experience you will always remember.

Now that I think about it, that rain-like shower head looked nice.

Now what was that bathroom-remodeling company's number?

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(About the writer: Gary Matheny is retired after a long career in the pharmaceutical industry. Now a Cleveland resident, he is the author of two books, "If The Shoe Fits" and "The Bullet." He is also a talented singer and songwriter. Email him at gary.matheny@yahoo.com and follow him at his website, www.garymatheny.net.)