Being Content in the “Good Old Days”

I came from a time long ago — before computers, the Internet, cell phones, video games, and social media. How, you may wonder, did I ever survive? How could I ever be content without all the modern “conveniences” we have today?

Well, the “good old days” were filled with friends, family and a sense of innocence and wonder. The world seemed so big and such a mystery (quite different from today where all the drama of the world is right in front of us on our computer screens). My family was poor and lived in a scary gang-filled housing project in southern California. Even so, I always felt safe because I knew that I was loved. There was an unspoken sense of peace and contentment (some might call it naivete which is okay when you are little).

Music and Memories

In my family there was always a lot of music. One of my favorite earliest memories included a family tradition every Saturday night. Since we had church the next morning, my little sister Toni and I hurriedly finished our baths early. Our freshly washed hair hung down our shoulders, and we wore cute little puppy and kitty footie pajamas. We happily sat on the living room floor in front of our wobbly blond wood coffee table. Daddy had folded a piece of cardboard and put it under the guilty leg to keep it stable.

When everyone was settled in their places, Mama would bring each of us a flimsy foil tray with a fried chicken TV dinner she had baked in the oven. (You see, there were no microwaves back then either!). The trays had three sections. The big one had a chicken leg and another odd-shaped chicken piece. The smaller sections had a lump of something that looked like mashed potatoes with a spot of brown gravy, and another had hard peas mixed with bright carrot cubes. The evening was such a special treat that we didn’t care if it tasted like real food or not (but I still can’t eat mixed peas and carrots to this day).  Mama and Daddy sat on our threadbare olive-green sofa with metal tv trays in front of them.

The Magic of Lawrence Welk

When it was 6 o’clock, Daddy turned on the TV and waited for it to warm up. He turned the rabbit ears this way and that way until we all shouted, “There!” and he stopped, always laughing with us. The rabbit ears were a portable antenna with tin foil wrapped around the tips which supposedly help pick a better TV signal.

You see, there was no cable, no streaming, and only three channels from which to choose. This was back when families only had black-and-white TVs that consisted of a small screen about 12-15 inches wide, surrounded by a much bigger box (like the one pictured above). But that didn’t matter either. We were perfectly content because it was time to watch “The Lawrence Welk Show!” The music and dancing, the costumed singers, and live band were magical to us. Even to this day I cherish those old classic easy-listening songs. And the bubbles! They were my favorite part.

Mama Found Contentment in Music

We also had an old record player and lots of record albums. Mama played them all the time. She always sang along and smiled. Sometimes she’d almost float around the room dancing with us kids. It’s funny how many of those old songs are so deep in my memory from those days – musicals, big bands, classics, and The Ray Conniff Singers. It was even more wonderful at Christmas time – Bing Crosby, Mel Torme, Andy Williams, Nat King Cole, Doris Day, Burl Ives and, of course, The Ray Conniff Singers.  They really are still a part of who I am. Music today doesn’t seem to have the emotional connection like those old standards did. (And  I won’t even discuss rap “music!”)

At bedtime, Mama would sing a lot of songs her mother sang to her when she was a little girl. I also sang them to my kids when they were little. These songs were sometimes funny, sometimes romantic, and even sometimes tragic. I remember her singing “Babes in the Woods,” which was such a sad, morbid song about two kidnapped children that died! The sweet haunting melody is still vivid in my memory. Oh, it was heartbreaking to hear about the robins in the woods comforting the children and covering them with strawberry leaves as they died.  Even though we sometimes cried, we wanted her to sing it again and again. You see, we always felt safe and content in her arms. She held us close when she sang, and her beautiful voice was enchanting. I’m surprised I never had bad dreams about that song! This really isn’t a great recording (and certainly not as beautiful as my mama’s voice), but you can get an idea of what that song sounded like: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-2UnTxEtTY

Bubble Gum was Music — Not the Kind You Chew!

As I got a bit older, I loved pop music, also called “bubble gum” music. I was especially content listening to my favorites — the Monkees (oh Davy Jones!) and John Denver. Of course I also loved the Mamas and Papas, Beach Boys, the Partridge Family (oh David Cassidy!), Simon and Garfunkel, and many others. I wasn’t a Beatles fan when they first came to the US and appeared on the Ed Sullivan show. I remember thinking that they were so weird and had such long hair! It took me a few years to appreciate their music.

Making My Own Transistor Music

When I was elementary age, I remember many times sitting on my front porch with my cassette recorder on my lap and holding my AM transistor radio. The radio was a little white plastic box about the size of my hand.  There were two tiny dials on the side, one for the volume and one you had to turn back and forth to tune in a local radio station. It took a lot of skill to tune it just right. Then I had to hold the radio very still. If I moved it even a few inches to the right or left, it could mean the station would disappear or scramble with irritating static.

Tuning in the closest radio station was only the first step. When the sound was the best I could get, I held my breath. With my finger poised on the record button of my cassette recorder, I waited patiently until one of my favorite songs finally came on, I hit the record button and quietly held my radio up to the built-in microphone. Of course, singing along was not an option, even though it was tempting! Once the song finished playing, I quickly hit the stop button before the DJ would start talking again. I so was happy.

Since we didn’t have a lot of money, I was always content to have my own personal “copy” of my favorite songs. Even though the quality was less than perfect, it was still a really big deal! You see, this was long before Spotify or Amazon music streaming where you can listen to any song you want at any time you want. In fact, this was long before there were even FM radio stations! Shocker, right?

The Music of the Night

At night when I was in bed, I’d hide under the covers with my little radio and tune in magical AM stations in faraway places. I loved to listen to Wolfman Jack in Chicago which seemed like this mysterious place on the other side of the world. My family lived in California, Utah and Virginia during that time, which were all pretty far away from Chicago. I guess since there weren’t as many radio stations back then and most signed off in the evenings, the signals of those bigger stations could travel farther, especially at night. (That magic carried over into my adult life when I became a disc jockey in Virginia, one of the first female DJs in my part of the state.)

Contentment in Our Innocence

So growing up in the “old days” was a time of innocence and contentment. Yes, it might sound a bit boring to you. No, we didn’t have the technological advances there are today, but we had our imaginations. Sadly, these modern “improvements” have caused innocence to almost disappear these days. We are bombarded with so much negativity, arguing, political conflicts, and people just trying to figure out who they are. We are told by influencers how to look, how to dress, and how to think.

Where is Contentment Now?

Contentment seems illusive, doesn’t it? Some might even say it is unrealistic today. Just make your own way, do your own thing, and find what feels good to you. No one can tell you otherwise.

Sadly, so many people think that way, and they still aren’t happy. Contentment and peace seem impossible to achieve. (By the way, I explored this question in depth in a previous blog several months ago. If you haven’t read it, I’d like to encourage you to do so https://grandma-d.com/gimme-more/)

So, what is contentment anyway? The world’s definition says it is “the art of being satisfied with who we are and what we have.” That is true to some degree, but there is more to it than focusing on our own wants and needs. Vocabulary.com says, “Contentment isn’t an excited kind of happy, it’s more like a peaceful ease of mind. It’s being satisfied with what you have, whatever that is. Whatever is going on in your life, you’re pleased about it.” But again, it seems to be focusing only on ourselves.

Influencers Don’t Want Us to be Content!

So many of us keep looking for the answers from those around us – our friends, our family, and those self-absorbed social media influencers. Influencers are the worst because they are so full of their own importance that they think every person should follow every word they say. Please don’t listen to them!! They won’t help you find contentment at all – they will do the opposite by showing you that you are not “enough” just the way you are. Actually, they don’t want you to be content because then you won’t “need” their wisdom any more!

Content in All Circumstances?

The Apostle Paul talked about being content in any and all circumstances. How could he be content in a prison cell or on a ship about to break apart in a storm? His contentment was in a person not his circumstances. His faith in God told him that in all things God was in control. He looked beyond the struggles to the One would bring him safely to the other side.

The Lord — Our True Influencer!

I don’t know if I could ever be as strong as Paul, surviving so many trials one after the other, but I have seen God’s faithfulness in my own struggles. I can affirm that He has always been in control. Since I have been a witness and recipient of His good work in my life over and over again, I can trust Him with what happens in the future – even the bad stuff! My contentment lies only in Him.

Paul himself had the best advice:  ^“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7 NIV)

It’s true for you, too. The only “influencer” you should follow is the Lord. Period. He made you, and He knows what you need to be truly content. You can find true peace in Him alone.

He Really Does Care About You!

Ok. I know what you are thinking! Grandma D, you just don’t understand my struggles. No, I don’t. I do know that it’s not easy to trust when it seems you are assaulted with one trial after another. Sometimes you can’t even take a breath without crying, can you? Maybe you even question if He is there or listening to your prayers. It can be discouraging, can’t it?  I do know those feelings. But I can promise you that He really loves you and wants what is best for you in all things. He knows your needs, your pain, your feelings of inadequacy, and your day in and day out worries and heartaches. In His presence is where true contentment lies.

My prayer for you, my dear one, is not that He will take away your pain and trials, but that He will help you to see and feel His presence through them. It may take baby steps, but just trust Him a little more each day. He is faithful. Always!

My prayer:

Oh Dear Father,

This world just keeps getting more and more crazy and out of control. Discord, discouragement and despair are everywhere, even in our own lives. Please help us to hang on to Your truth – that peace and contentment are only found in trusting You. Help us to turn our tough “stuff” over to You and rest on the promise that You will never leave or forsake us.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen