What goes around , comes around. We’ve all heard that, but do we believe ?

So, here we go. See if you agree that history actually does repeat itself.

Whenever you turn your television on or fire up your computer, within a few minutes you’ll see/hear an ad for ” having groceries delivered to your doorstep”. In Lavonia ( in the 40s and 50s ) there were two locally owned and operated grocery stores : Brock’s Grocery and Cawthon Brothers, both well-stocked and much appreciated.

My mother ( and other ladies in town ) would call Abner Brock at his store and place an order that went something like this : ” Abner, George and I are having six people over for dinner tomorrow night. Would you send me a prime rib, fresh green beans, makings for a fruit salad and whatever Sarah Lou ( our cook and housekeeper ) needs to make a coconut cake ? Just have Hubert ( delivery man ) put the cold stuff in the refrigerator and the rest on the counter in the kitchen. Thank you so much ! ” And Abner did—–and Hubert did.

Not exactly the same, but more alike than different, for sure.

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And then there’s the driving around. For those of us who remain sheltered ( or at the very least, cautious ) entertainment is limited. So we ride the countryside, ” cruise ” , to be specific. Breaks the monotony and allows us to observe things we never noticed before.

In small Southern towns in the 50s, cruising was a favorite pastime. A bunch of teen -age girls would get a family car on a Sunday afternoon and head to Royston, Carnesville, or Hartwell, looking for the boys from those towns. Once the connections were made, girls and boys were out of cars, into other cars——just a “go-for-broke , fruit -basket turnover ” and , oh, so much fun ! And, of course, the Lavonia boys were doing the same thing . Now I’m not stretching this point to imply that old folks ‘ cruising during the pandemic and the cruising of a bunch of giddy teens are the same. But the end purpose of both was, and is, a little change of pace and entertainment.

Not exactly the same, but more alike than different, for sure.

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And on a sadder note : the comparison of the current pandemic and the polio scare back in the day. Memories of sick and dying children, iron lungs for so many, pools and libraries and schools and stores closed for safety purposes, social gatherings cancelled, frightened parents, befuddled scientists, misinformation by radio or newspaper, and on and on are still fresh. On a personal note, at about age 12, I spent most of the summer in bed , listening to Jenny’s Platters on WKLY, the Hartwell radio station. And although it was never definitively diagnosed, it was believed that I had polio. I was weak and lethargic———and lucky !

And then there were shots and sugar cubes. And now there are COVID vaccinations.

Not exactly the same, but more alike than different, for sure.

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So, what goes around, comes around ? You betcha………..