Member-only story
When You Want To Go Home
Because the world has changed — and not in a good way
I want to go home to a place that doesn’t exist anymore.
It’s a place where neighbors lend you a cup of sugar when you run out. The boy next door mows your lawn when you’re sick.
And people you know drop over for a visit. There’s coffee and homemade cake. You play cards around the table and laugh all evening.
There is only one phone in this place. It has a long cord and hangs on the kitchen wall. No one answers the phone during meals. The family sits around the table and talks about their day.
Teenagers wait for hours for someone to call. When they do, it’s a big deal. The adults are amused.
In the evening, people read books or watch TV. There are only 7 channels to choose from. Since there’s only one TV, family members decide what they will watch together. And afterward, there’s an animated conversation about the show.
Best of all, home is a place where people are polite. They like to be polite. People are kind to others. It’s common decency.
We work out our issues face-to-face.
At home, we feel safe. When talking to friends and neighbors, we are polite about our politics and religion.
