I had a dream the night before last that I was watching some sort of new crime drama on tv (and we know there are not nearly enough of those), and all of the characters, both good and bad, were from The Waltons. Please don't ask me why. It would take my therapist and I a year at least to figure that one out. I haven't seen The Waltons in some time, though I know it is still shown in syndication on at least one cable channel, so it was quite strange that the Walton Family characters appeared in my subconscious.
Growing up a Gen-Xer, my parents were still in control of the television and what was actually allowed to air in our home, so when it came to good ol' family television shows like The Waltons, we were allowed to watch, even if it was passed our bedtime.
Anyway, the next day, Poseidon and I drove to a small town near Raleigh, one that has a quaint resurrected downtown area, and on the way there, I saw a house that looked exactly the house in The Waltons. It made me remember my dream. This house looks like it is straight from the tv show, but it is only a couple of miles from this up-and-coming downtown area, and it made me think: could a family like the Waltons exist today?
At first of course I thought, "No way in hell." Then I put my opinion on hold because the Amish community popped into my head. They truly do live like the Walton family. They don't even have automobiles, which proves they can live pre-Walton style. This lifestyle is a choice and they dig their heels in and refuse to step into the 21st century, yet they thrive as a community and a people.
I'm not saying I want to throw away my make-up and hair dryer (or my laptop for God's sake), put a hat and petticoat on and join that Walton Family world, but when I think about past episodes of The Walton's, and as a kid growing up in the 70s and 80s and an adult in 2011, I find myself longing for something easier than now; something slightly more innocent and a great deal quieter and less hectic.
Good night Mama. Good night John Boy. Good night Mary Ellen. Good night Waltons, wherever you are.
--Fortuitous Observer
