Granny turns 94 today, and the occasion's making me reflect on how much the world has changed in that time. And, of course, it makes me wonder what amazing stuff is in store for the human race in the next 90-100 years.
On March 7, 1917, World War I (the "war to end all wars") was in its early days. The Romanov czars still ruled Russia, and the "Soviet Union" was still a few months from its inception. U.S. President Woodrow Wilson had yet to suffer his stroke, and still had his wits about him (though his love of the "progressive" movement caused many to wonder). The world was not connected at all... not by phone, let alone currencies and computers.
Closer to home, where Granny was born in middle America, almost nobody had a car. Telephones were rare, and if you had one, it was a "party line" shared by the community. The overwhelming majority of U.S. households had no electricity. Refrigeration was accomplished with an ingenious invention known as "ice" - you worried that your perishables might perish before the next visit from "the ice man." Many people still rode horses to work, and even to school. The West was still wild, and in some small pockets, even lawless.
It truly amazes me to think about what my grandmother has lived to see, from the rise and fall (and ugly reappearance these days) of the communist experiment to the complete transformation of daily life through technological advancement. Perhaps the most wonderful thing about it, speaking selfishly, is the fact that Granny was able to make it to 94. This beloved person, who always had time for me and saved my life on a number of occasions, would not have lived 94 years if the America of 1917 had existed toward the end of her life, instead of at the beginning.
Makes me wonder how long my generation might go... and how much longer my kids and grandkids might make it.
The news reports these days are pretty depressing. From mideast turmoil to union rage, the global economy is a wreck. The war on terror threatens to turn itself into a plain old World War. And there's even a good chance there won't be pro football in the fall!
But I look at Granny, and I get inspired. Think of all the turmoil she's seen, and it's been VERY tough to live through... but it's always ended in renewal and rejuvenation. If you could have the privilege I enjoy of spending time with her (you can't, sorry), you'd be able to see the tough-as-nails farm girl who carried the water and fed the chickens and fought with her sister and made the honor roll at her one-room schoolhouse. It's like watching a movie set in the Roaring '20s, and you realize the cycle of booms and busts are just the natural order of things. Things get bad (like they are today)... then they get better (like they were yesterday, and will be tomorrow).
At times of inspiration like this, I think I might love to make it to 94, or even beyond. If that happened, I'd live to see my grandkids become grandparents - just like Granny has. I'd live through lots more booms and busts. I'd have amazing stories to tell, and amazing things to learn from it all. And it would mean that right now, today, I still have about half my life left. Maybe it's not too late for me to make something of myself! Maybe there's hope for me!
