The Stranger
A few years after I was born, my Dad met a stranger
who was new to our small town. From the beginning,
Dad was fascinated with this enchanting newcomer
and soon invited him to live with our family. The
stranger was quickly accepted and was around
from then on.
As I grew up, I never questioned his place in my
family. In my young mind, he had a special niche.
My parents were complementary instructors: Mom
taught me good from evil, and Dad taught me to obey.
But the stranger... he was our storyteller. He would
keep us spellbound for hours on end with adventures,
mysteries and comedies.
If I wanted to know anything about politics, history
or science, he always knew the answers about the past,
understood the present and even seemed able to predict
the future! He took my family to the first major league
ball game. He made me laugh, and he made me cry. The
stranger never stopped talking, but Dad didn't seem
to mind.
Sometimes, Mom would get up quietly while the rest of
us were shushing each other to listen to what he had to
say, and she would go to the kitchen for peace and quiet.
(I wonder now if she ever prayed for the stranger to leave.)
Dad ruled our household with certain moral convictions,
but the stranger never felt obligated to honor them.
Profanity, for example, was not allowed in our home - not
from us, our friends or any visitors. Our long time visitor,
however, got away with four-letter words that burned my
ears and made my dad squirm and my mother blush.
My Dad didn't permit the liberal use of alcohol but the
stranger encouraged us to try it on a regular basis. He made
cigarettes look cool, cigars manly, and pipes distinguished.
He talked freely (much too freely!) about sex. His comments
were sometimes blatant, sometimes suggestive, and generally
embarrassing..
I now know that my early concepts about relationships were
influenced strongly by the stranger. Time after time, he
opposed the values of my parents, yet he was seldom rebuked
... And NEVER asked to leave.
More than fifty years have passed since the stranger moved
in with our family. He has blended right in and is not nearly
as fascinating as he was at first. Still, if you could walk into
my parents' den today, you would still find him sitting over
in his corner, waiting for someone to listen to him talk and
watch him draw his pictures.
His name?....
We just call him 'TV.'
(Note: This should be required
reading for every household!)
He has a wife now....we call her 'Computer.'
Their first child is "Cell Phone".
Second child "I Pod "
And JUST BORN THIS YEAR WAS a Grandchild:
IPAD
OH MY----HOW TRUE THIS IS!!!
The stranger that moved in
- Dot
- Posts: 23554
- Joined: Fri Nov 23, 2012 6:12 pm
- Location: Strathalbyn SA
Re: The stranger that moved in
Good one
Queen of the Banal & OT chatter and proud of it. If it offends you then tough titty titty bang bang.
- T1 Terry
- Posts: 13716
- Joined: Fri Nov 23, 2012 3:44 pm
- Location: Mannum South Australia by the beautiful Murray River
- Contact:
Re: The stranger that moved in
When I met Margaret she opened my eyes to the evil this stranger pumps into your head, the stranger only gets to talk during State of Origin and Bathurst now Even the evil voice in the box is replaced by personally chosen music, not by an unknown person who likes to wheel their barrow between the musical interludes.
But the computer..... evil thing it is, eats hrs like they will go on for ever, lucky I have good friends that live in there and share their world with me.
IPads, IPhones, I don't think so, I doubt I'll ever own a stroke it phone, I still have a social life of sorts away from this screen, I don't need a stroke it phone interrupting that as well.
the first bit wasn't supposed to be in there so I've deleted it now, it was a saved post from CF, still having moderator wars over there.
But the computer..... evil thing it is, eats hrs like they will go on for ever, lucky I have good friends that live in there and share their world with me.
IPads, IPhones, I don't think so, I doubt I'll ever own a stroke it phone, I still have a social life of sorts away from this screen, I don't need a stroke it phone interrupting that as well.
the first bit wasn't supposed to be in there so I've deleted it now, it was a saved post from CF, still having moderator wars over there.
A person may fail many times, they only become a failure when they blame someone else John Burrows
If we have data, let’s look at data. If all we have are opinions, let’s go with mine. – Jim Barksdale, former Netscape CEO
If we have data, let’s look at data. If all we have are opinions, let’s go with mine. – Jim Barksdale, former Netscape CEO
- Liz Bailey
- Posts: 28
- Joined: Wed Dec 05, 2012 4:55 pm
Re: The stranger that moved in
Wow! That is great Bob n Bev - certainly jolts our complacency - do you know who wrote it?
Liz Bailey,
currently in NSW
Mt Evelyn, Victoria
...with husband, Rob, in a GMC truck towing a 5er
currently in NSW
Mt Evelyn, Victoria
...with husband, Rob, in a GMC truck towing a 5er
-
- Posts: 246
- Joined: Sun Aug 20, 2017 2:45 pm
Re: The stranger that moved in
Sorry have no idea, I just copy and paste from what friends send me at times. It sort of rang a bell at whats going on in ones life with out seeing it....Liz Bailey wrote:Wow! That is great Bob n Bev - certainly jolts our complacency - do you know who wrote it?
Terry I didnt want to retype it ,far to long, thats how it copied. Im with you on the phone bit, had to do a small repair on mine to keep it going, filled the speaker with metal grinding!!! have 3 in bits for later repairs, fingers xed...
Bob...