Things that never go stale...

I'm writing...

Betty White is on television.

All is in divine order here in America!

I missed Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy tonight.
Actually, I haven't seen either show in about a year, but it is comforting to know that they are right there where they belong, and to me, that means that the world is in order.

I was thinking if I'd be attracted to the TV more if Leave It To Beaver, Father Knows Best, What's My Line, The Ed Sullivan Show, Perry Mason, Rocky and Bullwinkle, The Honeymooners, Twilight Zone, Truth or Consequences, The Match Game, My Three Sons, Candid Camera and Captain Kangaroo were still in prime time. Oh, and Alfred Hitchcock Presents!! Oh how I miss Mr.Speedy Alka-Seltzer!

Somewhere along the line, popular tastes change and without so much as a whisper, our world changes.

Big Bands dispand. The Hula Hoop? It stops spinning.

The Edsel flops.

Remember Max's Kansas City, The Fillmore East and West, The Village Gate, Studio 54?

Doo wop and disco and classic funk holds on for dear life, but goes away nonetheless...into the ghetto of our memories. My Girl, meet Mama Told Me Not To Come.

I was in an elevator the other day, and I heard Aretha Franklin singing. 8 floors down, and I wanted to stay in the elevator to go up and down again so I could hold on to the pleasure of the moment. Aretha! Lady Soul. Now she can end up on my turntable any time of any year. She will never go stale!

Oh, and cooking shows. Yeah, Julia Child had no fear. Passion I say... to share and to keep the art of living well moving forward. Tutti a tavola a mangare says Lydia on public tv. French and Italian food. Pastimes of national pride.

For us, well, we have Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts and McDonalds, and Chinese food and pizza and food courts in the mall. And drive throughs for the car. Global Positioning Units for directions, and hypertension for the rat race!

Don't get me wrong.

I'm all for convenience, but each night without fail I go to my kitchen and cook my wife dinner. It's a ritual over a decade long. It's worth the effort on many levels. During the day, I think about what would be nice to make tonight... and I make a list. I love going to the farmers market and picking out just the right items for tonight and maybe tomorrow night. When I come home, I chop the vegetables, and cook each meal. When it gets on the table, it looks, smells and tastes great. Yes it took a little more time than going to the drive through, but when I make cooking a daily adventure, that's what it is!

Now - that's eating!

Obesity. Now that's a new American tradition that has left the barn for good. Do you need to lose a few pounds? Well we have an entire industry for that too!

Well, these things never go stale in our culture. It's part of our DNA.

Is there anything that we could bring back that would make life better for our society?

I will take my clue from Alberto Cairo. Alberto is from Italy, but he's lived in Afghanistan tending to war victims since 1990. His story, captured here on Ted.com is an lesson to us all in enduring standards and values that never should go stale - compassion, commitment and love.

Well, if you will forgive me, I have to run. I have a bunch of errands to do....

1. to the farmers market to buy some vegetables,
2. stop at Weight Watchers
3. pick up more ingredients at the store. soupe de poisson and fettuccine alfredo  are on the menu tonight!
4. check out the latest downloads at hdtracks.com 

Aretha Franklin is playing in my car and Gretchen Parlato is next!

If I'm lucky, I'll get back in time for my appointment with a Mr. Ralph Kramden and Rod Serling, and some guys named Hitchcock and Sajak in-between chopping the vegetables and calling my kids to tell them I'm thinking of them.

Tell someone you love them today. You are alive!!

Drop by anytime.

Jim Luce