October, 2020 - One Less Dog In The Hunt

With the focus on COVID-19, and the currently over 220,000 deaths, it’s easy to get lost in what is happening around us. Death is something that gets people worked up, especially when we feel it is unnecessary, could be prevented, or that someone died before their time. Birth and Death are two things that every human being on this planet have in common. No matter what our differences, where we live, how rich or how poor, our ethnicity, our social status, religion, sexual orientation, or gender — we are all born and we all will die. When we talk about death, it is almost natural for emotion to rule the conversation. But sometimes it is important to develop a perspective, to look at reality, and to recognize the facts.

According to the Population Reference Bureau (PBR), the United States, average annual death rates climbed by 400,000 between 2009 and 2018; from 2.4 million to 2.8 million. Factors could include aging population or growing underlying health issues such as heart disease, cancer, or other illness. The three top causes of death in 2018 were heart disease, cancer, and accidents.

Maybe it’s just because I’m growing old. Maybe it’s because the people I talk to most of the time are growing old as well. Maybe it’s the tumultuous times we live in. Whatever the reason, I find that the conversations I get involved with tend to center on how much simpler life used to be. I talk with others and we remember the uncomplicated ways in which we lived, grew up, had fun, and learned about life. I find myself wishing my kids had known that world, and I do my best to share it. No, it wasn’t all sunshine and lollypops.

We grew up in a strange time. Our parents were the product of the fifties and sixties. Though Howdy Doody was long before my time, he was still around in reruns, as were the Mouseketeers. I watched Shirley Temple movies, and the Three Stooges which were all more a part of my mom’s generation. Woody Woodpecker and Popeye cartoons started off most movies at the theater. PPPP Porky Pig always told us when we had hit the end with “TTThat’s All, Folks!” We had Mr. Ed, Gilligan, Gomer (Shazam!), and Coyote and Roadrunner (beep-beep). We still lived in the age of the Western so we watched Bonanza, Gunsmoke, The Big Valley, and Have Gun Will Travel. At our grandparents’ homes we were exposed to the weekly dose of country and hillbilly which came the Hee Haw! Yet, we also had cutting edge shows like Salvage 1, The Six Million Dollar Man, Mannix, Kojak (Who loves ya, Baby?) and some of the best James Bond movies.

Month: October 2020

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