Today, the Mrs. and I went to a local car show to check out some of the cars and maybe get a few shots (photos). Unfortunately, the weather was cold for Texas this time of year (34 degrees) and the wind chill was even lower. But, we did manage to look around a bit and see some nice old cars.
The car in the shot today was of an old Bentley. It had all the bells and whistles. It even had that pull-down table for eating meals in the car. Wow, you won’t see those in today’s vehicles.
The Grey Poupon was perfect and I had to share a photo with you. I’m one of those old enough to remember seeing that original commercial on TV and laughing my head off. Not sure why it struck such a funny bone, but it was a big hit at the time and the idea of eating off a table in your car while being driven around by a chauffeur who kept Grey Poupon in the glove box just in case, was priceless. Here’s the commercial below in case you haven’t seen it or, maybe, it’s been years.
Luxuries seem to be what many people dream about having ‘one day’. Growing up, there were times when we didn’t have much. I remember going to school with holes in my pants which, today, is ‘in’. Go figure. My mother worked hard to keep food on the table for us during those times. We’d even get the anonymous letter in the mail with cash in it to help us out from time-to-time.
Yet, even though we had times with little, we always had a roof over our head and we learned to make do with what we had. We didn’t have the toys or the same luxuries some of our friends did, so, we just played with theirs. We found fun in the outdoors, riding a bike, or just throwing a ball back and forth for hours on end. It forced us to be creative and to not expect everything to be handed to us.
I learned to work at a young age mowing lawns, doing drywall with my stepfather, and working at a local grocery store. I saved, helped pay for my car, and learned that hard work has it rewards. I wanted to work and the idea of someone giving me everything I needed was foreign for sure. No Grey Poupon in the back seat for me…
I guess what I love about that commercial is that, a simple thing like mustard is a luxury item. It made the average, every day person feel that if they have Grey Poupon in their refrigerator, then they’re living a step above. Yet at the end of the day, it’s just mustard.
So, today, here’s to the simple things that bring us joy. It may be a walk in the park, an old book we can’t put down, or even a bottle of Grey Poupon in the fridge.
I had a very similar childhood, and loved every minute of it. Even though I love all the gadgets we have now, I often wish we could go back. It's probably why I'm OK if I forget my cell occasionally.
