Life at 60, (mph)

ELEC-TRICITY!!!

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RELAXED SUNDAY

In the early 70’s some good friends and I were enjoying a peaceful Sunday of comfort and relaxation while watching football (420-style) on TV – in an instant we were all confronted with this very unexpected event.

Being in our early 20’s the routine seemed to be a week at our respective trades, followed by a Friday and Saturday of ‘partying.’  Sunday afternoons were our time to ‘orient’ scrambled senses while sampling residual ‘party-favors’ from the previous week.  ‘Like-minded’ friends providing inspiration for the workweek ahead within an absolutely informal setting.

MEAGER 

The apartment was small and shared, the furnishings were meager.  Besides the basic of kitchen supplies, the total of furnishings included a couch, a large waterbed, a stereo, and of course our prized and most expensive possession was the television set; American-sparce.

On this particular Sunday we were ALL situated within the small common area where two or three friends sat on the couch and the remainder found comfort sitting along the edge of the waterbed, all within in the same common area.  Our television was but a few feet away with the game blaring (Miami’s undefeated year) and the atmosphere was the one of chat, laughter, and some serious acclamation’s to the quality of ‘party-favors’ on hand.

REALITY CONFRONTED

It was within this ‘stoned’ atmosphere of commitment to the game with the intense ‘review process’ going on – that the waterbed unexpectedly and quite dramatically split open!  A mini-tsunami immediately inundated this close social setting and as the sound of splashing liquid was being realized – eight stoned friends became involved with an immediate, hasty, and confused evacuation of the room to the yard outside – our mental complacency had been confronted.

Just outside the front door we began to gather and as water continued to flow out of the doorway – all but one of this small group of friends peered back inside…………….

TV SAVED

What we all saw over a sparkling floor – standing in several inches of water remained our friend ‘Toad,’ – erect, motionless and smiling proudly as he stood holding our most prized possession – the television set!

In an instant someone commented that “hey, the game was still on!” – and then it all registered. Toad was standing in water holding the TV as the football game continued on its screen…

It was with simultaneous recognition, realization, clarity, along with unanticipated unison that the entire group (standing outside) yelled a single, well pronounced, and crystal clear word for our friend Toad —- “ELEC-TRICITY!”

COMPREHENSION

It’s funny now because we saw actually saw ‘Toad’ comprehend how this message related to his admirable deed of saving that prized possession – a clear contradiction to his judgment – as he was the one ‘standing in water.

Toad dropped the television and scrambled outside to join us.

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I’m sure that this small event is meaningless to many with the exception of this small group of friends.  It’s the kind of thing that keeps ordinary folks from forgetting and most importantly, groups of friends such as ours laughing together many years later, kinda like the Sea of RabbittS!!,  or time with our dirt-bikes.