The times they are a' changin...

I chatted for a few minutes with an older Ocracoker today. She said "when I was growing up, every day there were 2 milk trucks, 2 bread trucks, 3 people in the Post Office, and 3 newspapers delivered".

Here's what it's like today.

There's one milk truck (and it stops at the Variety Store and The Community Store to deliver milk in plastic cartons, not at individual homes to drop off glass bottles with cream on top).

There isn't an old fashioned "bread truck" (remember those?), although there is of course bread at the aforementioned stores.

There are currently only 2 people working in the Post Office on a daily basis, although that's because one of them is on loan to another Post Office on Hatteras.

There is only one newspaper delivered on the island - the Virginian Pilot. (You can get the Raleigh News & Observer mailed to you, but you receive Monday's paper on Tuesday, Tuesday's on Wednesday, etc. In this day and age of TV and internet news, that's hardly useful.) And the delivery of the Pilot is about to cease, according to an announcement posted in the Post Office. So then there won't be any newspaper delivery. Good thing we have TV and internet news, or we'd be really behind on current events. I guess we could always use the excuse that we live on an island, though!

Now here's the cool part of the story. I finished talking with the lady right at noon, and as I left the building (her workplace), I noticed a guy in a truck just sitting there. He was waiting to pick her up for lunch. I suspect he does that every day, right at noon. Isn't that sweet? I like that the important things don't change. As I was leaving, I heard the church bells chiming (it was noon, remember?), which made me think of a great song which fits the topic:

Hey, time won't wait
Life goes by
Every day's a brand new sky
Every tear comes to dry

All that really matters in this crazy world
Is you and I together baby just remember
The first leaves of the trees
The way you look at me
A thousand chiming church bells ring
The simple things are free
The sun, the moon, the stars
The beating of two hearts
How I love the simple things
The simple things just are

Keep it simple, wherever you are...