Good old Days

I truly miss the "good old days"; the days when people weren't too busy to show their fellow human warmth, and a man's word was gold. I grew up in the 70's on the "tail-end" of that era, but I remember neighbors stopping by to pass the time of day, and the little "mom and pop" stores were thriving. These stores were family run, and had a homey feel when you walked through the days. Not only were the stores the owners' livlihood, they were their passion, and it showed.

Now in the age of progress, many of the small stores have been "out-sold" right out of business. The customers have no time to hear about Martha's cobbler recipe, or John's gardening tips; they instead opt for the speedy and impersonal superstores.

I remember one old store from my youth. It was a two-story rambling country store colored grey by the passing of time and the unforgiving Texas sun. Giant barrels of beans and peas stood in rows in the middle of the store, gardening impliments hung from the walls, and handcrafted kitchen chairs dangled from the ceiling by sturdy leather straps. The store was not fancy, but to a child it was a dream come true. In the front of the store were giant glass jars of any kind of candy you could imagine. The owners were friends of my family, and I often had the joyous privilege of taking a handful of candy out of a jar for myself.

Like the other small stores in the area, this store gave way to progress, and now stands empty; a haunting memory of a gentler happier time. I always had a contented feeling in that store, and was saddened when it shut down. It's been years since I had that same feeling in a store.

Tuesday, after my root canal, John took me to lunch at the CENTERPOINT STATION, located here in San Marcos. The building is a rustic old train depot, decorated with memorbelia from the 1930's to the present. I'm not a huge hamburger fan, but the cooks make their own buns and use real meat; delicious! The other half of the place is a gift shop and fudge store. On this trip, I was introduced to Mr. Warran, the owner. He is a very charming person, a former pro CFL football player, and a friend of John's.

Before we left, he gave us a 5 lb. Texas-shaped tin of fudge of Christmas. I was touched; I guess some things never change after all.