Anna Log

It’s just a little disturbing to realize that baby boomers are the last living generation to know a world without social media. There was no way for us to leave the house and have someone be able to contact us. The notion that someone could call us on a small communication instrument was not even in our minds. Following each other on Facebook or TikTok as seemingly everyone does now was not on our radar in 1965. We were still using landlines and if you called someone and the line was busy (just the term sounds so old school), you had to try again later. Try explaining this experience to a GenZer and you get the blankest of blank looks. Answering machines were the height of our technology and did not come into popular use until the mid-eighties.

If we did get into trouble while out and about, it was important to know your home phone number because that was the only way we were going to get help. It also meant we had to knock on someone’s door or go into a place of business to ask if we might use their phone. We were not low-tech – we were no-tech!

And yet…we survived. Some would say we thrived. It’s safe to assume that every generation looks back on their youth with a fondness and nostalgia for those simpler times. But when you tell Gen Xers and Millennials about making mix tapes or Sadie Hawkins dances, they think our simpler times were some very sweet times.

And they were, but not totally devoid of angst. Teen years in particular could be brutal but compared to the way adolescents are tortured on social media now, we escaped with minimal psychic damage. Our mistakes were not posted online for all to see (and live on forever). We were not obsessed about who was following us on social media. We had actual friends. We did things together. In person. Sometimes we did stupid things but we survived. In fact, we made it to the point where we’ve dived into the technology that younger generations take for granted. I could have used Microsoft Copilot to write this BoomSpeak post, but I’m saving AI for a day when I’ve lost all reasoning. Hope I’m still sentient.

Jay Harrison is a writer and creative consultant for DesignConcept. His newest mystery novel, Rio Puerco Demise is available on Amazon. His first mystery novel, Head Above Water, is also available on Amazon. But that’s not all. You can also purchase the Best of BoomSpeak on Amazon.

 

Driveway Moment

I’m sitting in the car that is parked in my driveway because I don’t want to go inside my house – at least not yet. Because when I walk through that door I have to be an adult who worries about my spouse (who thinks I take our marriage for granted), about my grown children (who won’t leave home), and about my parents (who may soon need to go into a home), and about planning for retirement (a train that has long since left the station).

Driving home from work I was able to find respite from all these wonderful topics, but now that I’m in the driveway, the only thing between me and the boogey man is the sanctity of my car. It may be old and have over 150,000 miles on it, but the seats still smell leathery and I am comfortable behind the wheel. I know everything about this car. The new tires on the back, each of the disc brake rotors I’ve had replaced, the new radiator hoses, it’s all documented in my mind. Really, when I think about it, I realize I have replaced 50-60% of the car by now. But the sound system is still A-1 so I can listen to some soothing classical music while working up the courage to leave the comfort of my “cabin.” Might as well put the seat in the reclining position to see if that will lessen the throbbing sensation in my frontal lobe. That’s working. I can already feel my heart rate slowing down, my hands have stopped clenching, and the damp brow is drying off.

I feel transported to a better place – a place where no demands are made of me. When I’m hungry, food appears. When I’m drowsy, a soft bed is there for me. Everyone speaks softly and we are gentle with one another. The sense is that everyone is solicitous without verging on obsequious. This is good – very good.

A loud rapping noise on my window shatters the reverie into a thousand tiny pieces. My son is staring at me through the fogged up window and mouthing some words. I’m confused – I don’t know what he’s trying to tell me. He makes a motion that I should lower the window, and I comply.

“Can you move your car so I can get mine out?”

No hello. No how are you. Doesn’t ask if I’m okay. Just stands there looking idiotic wearing a backward ballcap, waiting for me to move on, so that he can move on.

Fine. Until tomorrow then. This driveway moment is over.

(From the Best of BoomSpeak, 2017)

Jay Harrison is a writer and creative consultant for DesignConcept. His newest mystery novel, Rio Puerco Demise is available on Amazon. His first mystery novel, Head Above Water, is also available on Amazon. But that’s not all. You can also purchase the Best of BoomSpeak on Amazon.