We need some time out

I've talked about this before so for some this will be old news. Blame it on me having a senior moment. Back when I was a kid growing up in the '50s and '60s, we spent a good amount of time fishing at a large lake north of Ogallala, Nebraska. It was a big, clear lake that was about 20 miles long and maybe 3 or 4 miles wide at the face. Big sandy beaches with many of them gradually sloping off to deeper water so perfect to wade in. Most of the time we'd fish for walleye or white bass, but in reality we were fishing for anything that would swallow our worm or minnow.

Most of the time, there wasn't one person in sight. We were the only ones there. Kind of hard to believe that there was no one there enjoying the fishing and the sand. Boy have things changed. Now, it's wall to wall campers and four-wheel drives and side-by-sides and people. Thousands of people. People everywhere! It's like back in the '50s and '60s, when the city had all the allure and magic, but now people are trying to escape the city for a little peace and quiet even amidst the hustle and bustle of the new populated beaches. Sad, but it's the new normal. I really wish we could go back to the days when there wasn't anyone there and the lake was to ourselves. Those days are long gone.

Back then there weren't any cell phones or iPads or computers. When you wanted to look something up, you used a set of encyclopedias or a dictionary. If you wanted a book, you went to the nearest library and used the card index system and found where it should be. Now when the spelling of a word escapes me, I just type it in a word search program, and it's right there. If I'm wanting to look up Nebraska Wedding Tomatoes, which I just did a week or two ago, I use DuckDuckGo and search for it. Took maybe 30 seconds and right there on the screen before me was pages of information. Handier, but not sure better.

Everyone carries their own cell phone with them everywhere. So if I'm sitting in the shade in my side-by-side and decide to call a cousin in Nebraska, in a matter of seconds I can be visiting with them. Or use the cell phone to do a thousand other things I'm not sure how to do. It is amazing what one can do from a simple cell phone. Back when we were kids, we'd take off on our horses and we'd be gone all day. We knew enough to get home before dark and help with milking the cows. That was a given. But it was OK to not be in constant communication with anyone. Today when you meet someone walking or driving or even sitting still, there is a phone in their ear. Two people eating at a restaurant and both on their cell phones. Times have changed. Some for the better, and some for the worse.

There are times when I'd like to go back to a simpler way of life where things were simple and real. Growing up, when we wanted a drink, we went to the kitchen sink to the old pitcher pump and pumped it a few times until the water cooled down and got a drink. Or when we lay down in bed at night, there wasn't a sound. Nothing running. No AC or fans or blips from the computer or sounds that say we got an email or a text. It was dead silence. You could hear the crickets chirping or the coyotes howling. In the morning, the old rooster would announce it was a new day. Many times in the morning the mama cows would be bawling so they could locate their calves. You could actually hear nature.

I do enjoy AC and technology and all the rest, but a part of me misses the old way of life. When I stayed with Grandpa and Grandma, I slept on an old feather mattress with goose down pillows. Now we have Sleep Number beds and memory foam. Many take all kinds of meds to sleep. Back then the only medication one needed for sleep was work. Makes me wonder what will be next.

In the last few days there has been a recall of some mixed lettuce. Not sure what stores or even where, but I can't recall a single time growing up anything was recalled. When Mom opened a quart jar of tomatoes or canned meat or green beans, and she even questioned whether it was good or not, she fed it to the chickens or the hogs. No recalls on hamburger. Never, zero, not a single recall. And where I grew up, many ate their meat rare, really rare. I personally wanted mine cooked, but some ate it raw. Marge's dad did. He was a tough old bird.

Times have really changed in the past 70 years. It seems like the world is spinning faster and faster, and we are getting busier and busier. It would be nice to just step off for a while. But one probably can't really escape the technology and the busy and the new pandemic. It's all here and probably here to stay. I wish it wasn't, but it is.

We need a place where we can escape the hustle and the bustle. A place we can relax and just chill, if you will. Some have a cabin on the lake or a motor home at some stream, and these work. What I'm thinking of is a daily place and time where we can relax and let down our guard. Maybe kill the TV and the radio. Stick the cell phone and the other junk in a box and literally unplug. Maybe gather around the table for supper together. Begin the meal with a short thank you to God for providing. Maybe spend a few minutes at the beginning of the day or at the end. Find a time and place to just relax and enjoy the moment.