A comparison of present times to "back in the day." |
2008 1948 Monday - swim lessons at the YMCA. My son frolics in fun with friends, learning to swim in safe surroundings. Monday - swimming at the pond. My dad escapes into a cool paradise; bonding with buddies in nature’s pool. Tuesday - league baseball practice. Batting, bunting, sliding, and stealing, perfecting skills with a coach’s direction. Tuesday - baseball in the street. Homemade bat, hand-me-down gloves, hours spent reliving games heard on the radio. Wednesday - guitar private instruction. Strumming, dreaming of making a band, learning music and confidence with each note. Wednesday - playing drums on tin cans. An imaginary arena in his Papa’s barn, playing for an audience of poultry and bovine. Thursday - math tutoring at the school. Numbers are a mystery we must unravel. One-on-one help to find the answer. Thursday - spelling lessons until well into the night. Tomorrow’s test brings anguish and grief. Again and again, mother never relents. Friday - sleep over with best friend. Video games and pizza, the staple of life. Laughing and playing late in the night. Friday - camping out by the river. Brothers and a pillow are all that are needed. Ghost stories and star gazing until sleep overtakes. Saturday - baseball tournament. Game after game going for the gold, family and friends cheering us on. Saturday - brotherly competitions. Sunrise to sunset, the games abound, from dominoes to football there must be a winner. Sunday - Grandpa and grandson day Listening to glorious stories of how things were, discovering similiarities with how things are. |