The WAY BACK MACHINE

Yes it is September 15th, and it is time to use the "Way back machine to go back in time". First let's try some names of places and see if you remember them as well as I do. Lou's, Babe's, the MSS, the SSS, Raffeo's, Marcy's, Chatlins, Martins, the 5 & 10, the EL, The Grant, The Norris, Logrips, Giamo's, Holy Savior, Stinky's, The Norris Tavern, LaRoma's, Electrolux, the Red Peppers. Names of a bygone era, names of places that are merely memories, names that once were as bright and shiny as Macy's, Nordstroms, places that were something before the Malls, places that you could walk on a Saturday night, places that were a haven and refuge for the generation before ours. Main Street was really once a main street in a town tarnished by the hands of time, a street and town that time forgot. The Malls have devoured all these streets and towns, and a mad rush to suburbia destroy all remnants of the glory days long since gone, all in the name of progress. Isn't Progress a strange subject, it is what we all seek but at the expense of what we use to enjoy, I have begun to realize what it is that makes the Villages such an allure, it is the thought of the old towns that once lived and now are but mere memories that we all wish to enjoy once again. It is the idea of walking the Main Street of town, and looking in the shops, listening to the music, and feeling at home again. It is obvious that the reason everyone says "What goes around, comes around", is because we never realize what we had till it is gone and of course we want it back, and some entreprenuer gives us nostalgia at a price. The sad part is that we gave it all away for nothing, well I guess not nothing, but progress. Progress, a strange word, look at progress, you can see it in all we do everyday, and the question that requires answering is "Are we better off". Progress lent itself to Lehman Brothers, Fannie Mae, Freedie Mac, AIG, and look where they are today! Progress gave us the Walmarts of the World, isn't that just wonderful! Progress gave us 300 Channels of Cable TV, Wow, it takes the entire day to go through the channels. Progress has made us think that taking a walk is exercise, whereas, before it was a past time. Progress has put a Man on the Moon, but we still have to pay $25 to check a bag on an Airplane. Progress gave us OPEC, and Gasoline is more expensive than ever. Progress gave us Central Air, and now we cannot go outside because it is too hot! People flock to the Villages to find the oldtime hometown that Progress took away while they slept, Progress is a thief in the night, stealing what you treasure so dearly in the name of moving forward. Obviously, it is moving backwards that people seek more and more today, strange as it may seem, we have finally realized that all the things Progress took from us were worth keeping. Isn't it a sad state of affairs when the Presidential race is about "change", another word for "progress" I am afraid. The San Salvador Club use to have a "Feast" every year, and it was a place where everyone could gather and talk about their lives for the previous year, ewnjoy good food, good conversation, and a sense of belonging, those days have long since disappeared and sadly we fail to remember them. Progress is am ongoing process that eventually will lead us back to where we began, because each time we make progress, we seek what was once the days of yore. I suppose we will come full circle and meld the Old with the New, but it never really seems the same, the days of yore are specifically that because you can never go home again. Insight into what makes us happy usually leads us back to where we began, but then again progress makes that journey all the more arduous. Sometimes a good lemonade on the corner of Main and Walnut is something to really cherish. Well, I guess I have digressed beyond what I should, until next time, let's try to remember the kind of September when grass was green and grain was yellow. Progress and the Fantasticks just don't mix do they.. Good Night Mrs. Calabash wherever you are.