The
MEGAPHONE
Elwood, Indiana Elwood High School(s)
Volume 6, No. 7 Friday, July 1, 2005
THE SUMMER OF 1948
Contents
Page 1 . . . Waiting For God -- Julie (Stout) Crim
Page 2 . . . Sisters -- Cindy (Benedict) Odom
Power Surge -- Louise (Mountcastle) Romine
An Ol' Farmer's Advice -- Gertha Cabbage
Page 3 . . . Earthquakes -- Jerry McClish
Class of '55 Reunion -- Class of '55
Halo and Wings of Foil -- Cindy (Benedict) Odom
Travel -- Edna St. Vincent Millay
Page 4 . . . I Don't Want To Love You -- Mary (Gordon) Gainer
Page 5 . . . What Tree Did You Fall From? -- Louise (Mountcastle) Romine
Waiting For God
by Julie (Stout) Crim
I wonder why we all are so quietly compliant about waiting almost everywhere we
go? Have you seen the 30 minute comedy from the BBC called "Waiting For God"?
It takes place in a retirement/nursing home where the residents are waiting to
die. It's a comedy and a hoot. The first time I heard the title I was surprised,
it seemed so sacrilegious somehow. But on second thought I understood the humor.
After all, we wait on everything else, don't we?
My goodness! Our parents waited on us to be born, some waiting days and days
past our due date, and still they waited. When we were children, we waited to
grow up. As funny as it seems today, I grew impatient waiting to grow up so I
wouldn't have rules to follow or chores to do. No one would be bossy to me and I
could do whatever I wanted. Oh, childhood and the dreams and fantasies we
shared.
I could hardly wait to grow up and be a teenager, have my first job, finish
school, live somewhere else, drive my own car, see all the movies I wanted and
eat in all the fancy restaurants.
I remember standing in my graduation gown, thinking I would smother to death,
waiting to go to the gym for the ceremony that made me an adult, or so I thought
at the time. In high school I stood in line at Sam Aurelius' bookstore, waiting
to buy my school books. We used to wait in line at the movies for one show to
end and another to begin and sometimes we even had to wait while the popcorn
maker cooked all the buttery treats we wanted. We waited in the lunch line in
high school. Even in grade school we waited in line to use the bathroom.
Here I am, sitting in an office like my time is the most undervalued thing in
the world. And yet, I sit quietly, waiting, quietly waiting ... waiting ...
waiting. Finally, my name is called and I'm taken down a narrow hall, put in a
small room and the door closes. I look around. There are no windows, there are
no magazines. Ah, but there is something to read. Plastered to the walls are
charts and diagrams of how the heart works, or what happens to you when you have
a stroke. Is this interesting? In a word ... NO!
After a while I smartened up and started bringing a book and my Pocketmail with
me. Still, I'm put out that I must wait on someone. I did call ahead to see how
far the doctor was behind. "Only a little bit," I was told. "You
come ahead, you won't have to wait." So I went, and you know what . . . and
hour and a half later I get up and walk out after explaining why I was doing
that. I'm going doctor shopping very soon! And that's no joke!
When are we going to start charging for the privilege of giving these so called
professionals job security? I tend to think most of them are nothing more than
money grubbers, scheduling too many appointments much too close together. I
complain and my voice falls on deaf ears.
Are you waiting in a post office line, the grocery checkout line, the retail
line? Do you use public transportation? The plane may be on time but you're to
be there early -- and wait.
And what about fast food? Umph! It's sure slowed down these past few years. I
guess fast food means anytime in the next hour.
Now I'm tired and want to go to bed but it's too early. Guess I'll have to wait
for that too.
Julie (Stout) Crim '57
Written before I left Anderson, IN