There’s another Star Wars movie coming out this winter. Brings to mind the first one that came out in 1977 – 40 years ago. That’s kind of crazy. It also brings to mind how much things have changed… and stayed the same.
In 1977 I was in 3rd grade. My parents didn’t want to let me see Star Wars because I was too young. Finally, when there were only two of us left in my class who hadn’t seen the movie, we convinced our parents to let us go. I still remember the two of us sitting in our seats while the opening stars trailed over the screen. Our dads were sitting two rows behind us to make sure we were ok. We didn’t understand a lot of what happened but did catch that there was a good side and a bad side and we wanted the good side to win.
I’m not a Star Wars devotee but I’ve managed to see most of the movies in the series and I’m getting ready to go to the next one that comes out. I know it will be another fight between the good side and bad side with some interesting twists and turns.
So what has changed? So much. The cost of movie tickets has gone up. Bell bottoms are out. We now carry computers, I mean phones, in our pockets. I saw a headline from 1977 that announced the Radio Shack selling the TRS-80 computer. It was so popular they sold out. Radio Shack currently sells items online and through a few authorized dealers but otherwise has disappeared from the retail scene. In another interesting note, it snowed in Miami in 1977, the only time on record.
And what has stayed the same? We still like a good story, whether it’s in the movie theater or streaming on our device of choice. We still like to cheer for our favorite sports teams. We still argue about controversies and politics. And we’re still uncertain about where the economy is headed. History tells us that everything changes, and yet it all stays the same. We’re still striving for a good life, we just define the details differently. As we approach this Thanksgiving season whether you’re having turkey or tofurkey, or opting for a good take-out delicacy, enjoy the good things in life. I’ll be getting ready to buy my Star Wars tickets and wondering what episode will be coming out in 2057 – 40 years from now!
Kristin Rodriguez