I scare people. Don’t mean to.
I’ve dropped by some independent bookstores, where the owner or clerk is sitting behind a tall stack of books, peering all glowy-faced into the screen of a computer. I’m in and out before a word is ever spoken.
Me? I call out Good Morning! and people grab their throats and exclaim “You surprised me! I didn’t see you there!” Admittedly, I was behind the counter – but I thought that is where clerks are supposed to be.
I sometimes don’t get all my work done, getting caught up in talking to one person or another. Talk about anything, just about. More and more though, I hear people bemoaning the way the world has become. They’re missing the simpler times and places. I’m not giving up the computer, but I understanding their position.
Imagine the changes seen by Walter Breuning, who was born on Sept. 21, 1896, in Melrose, Minnesota, and moved to Montana in 1918, where he worked as a clerk for the Great Northern Railway for 50 years. Even today, it must be like stepping back in time in some parts of Montana. Walter celebrated his 114th birthday yesterday.
He remembers living out there with no running water and no electricity. Just like I did in Joplin, Missouri, where I’d landed my first out-of-state radio job, but quickly had my utilities disconnected for lack of payment. As Walter said yesterday, “That’s not very pleasant.”
Walter was there before cars. Before many US cities. Before Mountain Dew and Hostess Twinkies. Talk about roughing it. He regrets the railway jobs that were lost when computers were installed, but other than that, Walter admits change is good. And even the change in his pocket is different. After all, he had pockets before Lincoln was on the penny.
Just remember – when it gets to the point where you’d don’t like change, you can always change your mind.
When it seems overwhelming, you can change that, too! Try this:
IS YOUR NAME FAMOUS?