Contentment: A Baby Boomer's Summer Daze

 Remember when you were young and enjoyed all the playtime summer afforded?

I’m an early Baby Boomer and, oh, how I remember those days of summer!

Each year, when summer comes and school lets out, it always makes me reflect on my childhood summers that seemed to last forever. I think about all the wonderful days I experienced growing up.

But I had no idea we were deprived!

Forced to be outsiders, we actually got exercise by running around playing tag, kick ball, or roller skating. We circled the neighborhood subdivision on our bikes until dark and the bugs hit our teeth and Mom rang the bell to come home for dinner or when it got dark.

To cool ourselves, we played in the backyard in the hose and, yikes, heaven forbid, we even drank from it! Going swimming in a pool was a real treat. We also played with hula hoops, skipping rope, and playing cards. We even climbed trees and skinned our knees and elbows.

We made forts, either outside or inside the house when it rained. We played games like Mr. Potato Head, Pick Up Sticks, checkers, Parcheesi, or Clue. And Saturday mornings on the TV brought fun kids’ shows, cartoons and westerns, like Looney Tunes, Tom and Jerry, Rocky and Bullwinkle, The Mickey Mouse Club, The Lone Ranger, Roy Rogers, and Hopalong Cassidy.

We dressed up to go places, like downtown to shop because there were no local malls. Radio faded as it was replaced by this funny screen called television that showed an India-head test pattern when programs weren’t on yet. And you had to twist the rabbit ears just so to get a viewable picture.

We were polite when we picked up the black, heavy receiver to make a call on the rotary phone because there might be someone else using the party line.

We respected our parents, our teachers, and other grownups. We said things like “yes, ma’am,” and “no, sir,” “please,” and “thank you.” Being mean, stealing, or hurting someone was not part of our personalities. Well, not most of us anyway.

Almost everyone went to church on Sunday. All the stores were closed to honor the Lord’s Day, except for a few restaurants, gas stations, and drugstores. Besides, it was the law.

Every night, we ate dinner together as a family at the kitchen table. Except Sunday night. On Sundays, we raided the fridge for leftovers and gathered around the black and white picture tube in the family room to watch Superman and Ed Sullivan.

On clear nights, we would lie on a blanket in the backyard, waiting as Dad hosed the house for it to cool for bedtime. We would gaze up at a bazillion stars sparkling against the black velvet sky.

Ah, those never-ending summer daze (daze: to overwhelm or dazzle)!

But we had no idea we were so deprived. Deprived? Yup. We didn’t have things like…

• air conditioning

• computers

• videos

• internet with chat rooms and social media

• big color screen TVs

• cell phones

• text messages

• iPods

• iPads

• Kindles

Let’s see…were we really deprived of anything?

Those days of hardship and deprivation were wonderful! Whether we had a little or a lot, didn’t matter. Why? Because, for the most part, those days afforded us the joy of contentment. Does that contentment spill over into adulthood? Sometimes. Sometimes not.

As Paul wrote to the Philippian church, “Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned, in whatever situation I am, to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” (Phil. 4:11-13 ESV)

Though Hebrews 13:5 speaks of being free from the love of money, the rest of the verse should serve as a reminder for all the other areas of our lives, to “be content with what you have.”

May you know the joy of contentment in all areas of your lives. 

I pray you remember the joy of contentment and carry it with you always...Lynn