growing up

  Well I've officially become my parents! I guess that happened when Mom passed away. That was seven months ago and the reality still hasn't fully set in. A great deal of that is because we lived so far apart and so I was used to not seeing her. Phone calls were frequent however, although sometimes sporadic. Mom did become concerned with her "minutes" and they were a cause of worry and concern for her. Well, you know how old people can be. I did get her signed up with consumer cellular with a plan, but then she worried about the monthly bill, and maybe going over her limit! I'm not sure what her concern with going over the limit was other than she felt something real bad might happen. You know, like bouncing a check or something! But the realization I have become my parents hit me this morning because of a phone. 

 You see I have been using consumer cellular for years. I figured I was getting that AARP discount and all. Well, five dollars is five dollars right, but it is convenient and the service has been excellent. I have a plan that includes talk, text and data. I feel pretty 'with it" as the saying goes. They also finance phones, no finance charges either, just divide by the number of payments and that's it. I replaced the one I had with an upgrade. Now I'm using an android device, pretty basic as far as these phones go, but capable of doing everything I want it to do. It's a Motorola, a brand and name familiar to the older generation and a respected one. Why I remember our Motorola television when I was a kid, was on a swivel base and didn't take long to warm up either. Motorola, the leader in electronics! Thing is, that phone cost me one hundred and sixty dollars! My wife laughs when I complain about that and says, you should have bought your granddaughters phone! My immediate response is; no one needs a phone that costs a thousand dollars! And that, that is when I heard my Mom and Dad talking, in unison. I have become them. It's official because no matter how much I think about it, the truth remains, no one needs a thousand dollar phone, that's just foolishness! I heard that when I purchased a pair of Pro-Ked split leather uppers athletic shoes for thirty five dollars! I was informed what a foolish waste of money that was, you could get a perfectly good pair of sneakers for a third of that price. Well, as Dad often pointed out, a fool and his money, soon part company. I have become that man.

 The weather has begun to change and I'm already saying things like, do you feel a draft, and the heating bill is going to be ridiculous. Thinking about making soup, stews and chili. I've already gotten my coat out. The comforter is on the bed. The heavy one, for the coldest days. And because the wife and I each have a phone we are beginning to question the need for that. Isn't that a bit much? We had one phone, on the kitchen wall for years, worked just fine. And I have three cameras that aren't telephones! This is getting out of hand. Yeah, I'm hearing my parents voices alright, some things never change I suppose. They are right, and that's the issue isn't it? Always has been. And I always thought the were just old fogeys, what would they know? Turns out, quite a bit. 

 Well I'm in the market for a good cardigan sweater and comfortable shoes. The price of those is getting out of hand. A good sweater costs a hundred dollars! That's just crazy. Why I remember when you could get an entire outfit, with a coat, for that price. I was thinking of buying a union suit but the price of those has gone through the roof. Good quality ones are between sixty and eighty dollars! I'll just have to settle for some thermals, as Dad called them. They ain't cheap either. I didn't know growing up would cost this much. Yes, getting old isn't for the faint of heart, or poor people. You have to say goodbye to a lot of people along the way, and buy a lot of stuff. Then you realize it isn't what you bought, but the people left behind that is the most valuable. It's an expensive lesson. But as with all things of good quality, it lasts. My parents are still here, still teaching. I'm learning. Imagine paying a thousand dollars for a phone? Are you nuts?