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From 1953 to present (even though I don’t recall a lot about ’53 to about ’56), I’ve had a chance to see a lot of change in this world we live in.

Take television for example. When I was a child, we’d gather around the old Zenith – after meals, not during, and after all homework was completed – where we had a grand total of three channels – 3 (CBS), 10 (NBC) and 13 (ABC) out of southside Virginia – to choose from. But yet they carried quality family programming – Gunsmoke, I Love Lucy and Bonanza.

Nowadays, with satellite TV, cable or through streaming services, you can get about a zillion channels, the majority showing nothing more than sex, violence, and language that would make a veteran sailor blush. I’ve seen better content on the side of a soup can than what’s now on TV.

And while on that subject, have ya’ll noticed that actors/actresses of the modern era have incorporated extreme usage of the “f” word. That word is being overly used in scripts these days…almost to the point where it appears as part of casual conversation. And what baffles me the most is it can be replaced with another word without the scene losing any of its impact.

I know this sounds corny, but there were no electronic gizmos when I was growing up. For fun, we’d go outside and let our imaginations run wild – building a submarine out of peanut poles and attacking the Japanese fleet right from my own backyard. To us, athletic competition didn’t come from a little hand-held unit or a computer-generated image on the TV screen. Rather, we’d pick teams and play baseball in the spring and summer, football in the fall and basketball in the winter. We’d cry if it rained because we couldn’t go outside and play.

We also dressed like we had good sense. We didn’t wear items that would show off our underwear and we certainly didn’t walk around in our pajamas. Even our bathing suits were respectable. I’ve seen more cloth in a baby’s diaper compared to the material now found in bathing suits.

One good thing about being alive for 70+ years is I’ve acquired a bit of knowledge. That’s not saying I can tell you the exact population of Liechtenstein or the first person to reach the South Pole. Rather, my version of knowledge comes with practical facts, those we come face-to-face with nearly every day. Here are some of the most important things I’ve learned over the years:

Do not follow someone who cannot lead and never try to lead someone who cannot follow.

Never test the depth of water with both feet.

If you think nobody cares that you’re alive, try missing a couple of mortgage payments.

You can’t learn much when your mouth is moving.

Don’t become irreplaceable; if you can’t be replaced, you can’t be promoted.

Experience is something you don’t get until just after you need it.

If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.

It’s far more impressive when others discover your good qualities without your help.

Always remember that you are unique, just like everyone else.

In order to save yourself a trip to jail, never ask a law enforcement officer if he was once a member of the Village People. Also, if an officer asks a question, never answer by saying, “Hey, you’re the big shot detective, you tell me.”

There are benefits of growing older:

There’s nothing left to learn the hard way.

You can throw a party and your neighbors won’t even realize it.

Your eyes can’t get much worse.

Your joints are becoming more accurate than the TV weatherman. Example: my muscle aches this past Sunday was an advance warning of this week’s cold snap.

Kidnappers have no interest in you.

Now when you talk about good grass, you’re making reference to your neighbor’s beautiful lawn.

There’s also a downside to growing older….it’s called being frugal to the point where you actually wind up spending more money than anticipated.

An example is when one of the appliances stops working in our kitchen, I will insist on taking it apart, despite evidence that this will just cost me twice as much once the repair person gets here and has to put it back together.

And there are other things I do that drives my wife crazy.

I must hold the television remote control in my hand while I watch TV. If the thing has been misplaced, I may miss a whole show looking for it …though one time I was able to survive by holding a calculator.

There’s no need for Deborah to ask me about her appearance before we head off to visit a relative or go out to dinner. I think what she’s wearing right now is fine. I thought what she was wearing five minutes ago was fine, too. Whatever shoes she chooses to wear are just fine. With the belt or without, either way looks fine to me. Your hair is fine. You look fine. Can we just go now?

And believe it or not, I can be trusted to go to the grocery store and purchase basic items, like steaks, beer, milk or bread. Don’t ask me to try and find complicated items such as tomato sauce with oregano and basil, or a certain type of cornmeal, or coconut milk, or almond butter!

And don’t ask me to buy a box of breakfast cereal. Have you been down that aisle lately in your favorite supermarket? There are nearly as many brands as there are TV channels! Ditto for bread!

Cal Bryant is the Editor of Roanoke-Chowan Publications. Contact him at cal.bryant@r-cnews.com or 252-332-7207.