Life In The Shade

To me the 1960’s was a decade of great contrast. On one hand, it was the last decade that much of our experiences were not very different from the previous decades. Life for many of us was still simple because except for the race to get to the moon, most of the technology we have today either did not exist or was not readily available to the public at an affordable price.

In fact, much of the technology we enjoy today came to us from the space program. Sometimes I believe much of the turmoil of that era was because of the changes that were starting to occur. In the span of just a few years, we would witness the move from an agricultural and industrial economy, to a technology driven one.

Willis Haviland Carrier invented air conditioning in the early 1900’s, but it would not be until the early 1970’s, that most of us would have cold air in our homes. In fact, I remember newspaper ads for retail stores and theaters promoting the fact that they had the coldest air in town. As you can imagine, except for the use of fans, there was not much relief in a house from hot southern summers. However, if you were to drive down most country roads from my childhood, you would always see one thing, which would be a circle of chairs under a big shade tree in the front yard of most houses.

Now these were not fancy patio sets like what you would see today. They mostly consisted of folding aluminum web chairs, big metal chairs that we would now call retro and my favorite, the old ladder back wooden chairs. You cannot imagine how many warnings I heard to not lean back in one of those chairs, or how many times I ignored the warning and fell backwards.

Those circles of chairs, in no certain order, were awesome because of what occurred in them, under the shade of the big old trees. Families would talk, sometimes for hours even into the night. Never did it really matter what the subject was, because all topics were open. My uncles could talk for hours about fast cars, while the old folks might discuss the year’s crops or the weather. As for us kids, none of us were able to sit still very long. Eventually our evening would wind up playing some kind of game, chasing each other through the yards and fields surrounding the old houses.

What all of these gatherings had in common was that families really took the time to find out what was happening in each other’s lives. There was never any rush to be somewhere else, because being together as a family was more important. In the cool of a shade tree, the world slowed down and you knew just what was important. Have you ever stood under a big oak tree at a farmhouse or even on a town square and wished the tree could reveal all the conversations it has heard? Imagine the books that one could fill with the knowledge those old trees have heard.

Next time you are looking for something to do with your family, pick up a few chairs and find a big old tree to sit under. Moreover, if you really want to make it special, find your shade tree by a stream. Sit back and just talk, and experience just how great life can be in the shade.