Gunslingers, Landlines, Letters.
I had a day off, so I Finished watching the Wyatt Earp documentary on Netflix — Wyatt Earp and the Cowboy War. That’s the kind of thing that drags me right in. The Wild West. Deep history. Wanton violence. Who knew that Wells Fargo was funding a vendetta ride, and William Tecumseh Sherman had to ride into tombstone like Americas dad and threaten to End everyone if they didn't shut up, clean this room and go to bed? Seriously though when Sherman talks you listen.. he burned Atlanta and half the south , you think he won't Ground everyone, and end the sleepover right there and then?
Tombstone might have the great quotes, but honestly, I enjoyed this just as much. I was sitting there thinking about what it must’ve been like to live in 1881 when my phone rang.
It was Megan.
“Nate, how do letters work?”
Not the kind with vowels and consonants — actual, physical letters.
“What’s a stamp cost? How do you fill out the envelope?” How much postage do I need?
And just like that, I wasn’t only watching history, I was history.
I had become her “phone-a-friend” for ancient technology. Suddenly I felt like an artifact from a museum. I don’t feel that old, but compared to the kids, I might as well be a walking encyclopedia. And if you’re my age, you remember encyclopedias weren’t digital. They were imitation Corinthian leather on an installment plan. Your parents bought one book at a time, and if you were poor, you might’ve stopped halfway through the alphabet and only made it to “aardvark.” No zebras for you.
I was born in the ’70s, raised in the ’80s, came of age in the ’90s, and now we’re in the 2020s. Supposedly the “roaring twenties.” But so far they aren’t roaring, and there’s definitely no art deco.
What We Had vs. What They Have
Phones
We had a landline with a cord that stretched about 30 feet if you pulled it tight. Privacy meant dragging it into the bathroom and hoping no one picked up the other extension. We had a regular 888 exchange and even had a 647 party line exchange because Ellenville was eight miles away and “long distance.” You’d pick up the phone and hear your neighbor talking about gallbladder surgery. These kids will never even own a landline.
Ordering Stuff
We waited six to eight weeks for things we ordered, and paid extra for “shipping and handling.” Sometimes your order showed up. Sometimes it didn’t. Today they push a button on Amazon and it’s on their doorstep before they’ve finished lunch. They win this round.
Electronics
We had RadioShack, with aisles of adapters no one really needed and a guy behind the counter who acted like NASA’s head engineer. They have Amazon reviews and one-day delivery. Again, they win.
Music
We had records, then cassettes, then CDs, then MP3s, and now all the rage is… records again. Full circle.
If you really liked a song, you probably bought it five times: once on vinyl, once on tape for the car, once on CD for “better sound,” once on iTunes because it was convenient, and then once more when vinyl made a comeback. And somewhere in there, you also stole it off Napster or LimeWire, praying your computer didn’t explode from whatever virus came with that mislabeled file.
Meanwhile, kids today just say, “Hey Siri, play that song,” and it’s in their earbuds instantly.
Movies
We had VHS tapes, and if you forgot to rewind before dropping them at Blockbuster, you got fined. They stream anything, anywhere, on three devices at once.
Directions
We had maps that unfolded to the size of a bed sheet. Good luck refolding one while driving. They have GPS telling them “turn left in 400 feet” in three different accents.
Arguments
We stormed off to the library, found the encyclopedia, photocopied the page, and marched home like: Boom. I told you so. They just Google it in five seconds and ruin all the drama. Boom I told you so doesn't have the same Weight anymore. plus kids today would be completely lost, what even is the Dewey Decimal system?
Photos
We had film. You shot 24 pictures, waited a week for CVS to develop them, and prayed at least one came out without your eyes closed. They take 200 selfies, delete 199, and still hate the last one.
TV
We had rabbit ears wrapped in aluminum foil, and if your little brother walked across the room, the picture went fuzzy. They stream 4K video on a phone while riding in the backseat of a car doing 70 down the highway.
Cars
We had to warm up the engine and adjust the choke on cold mornings. Air conditioning? Optional. Power windows? A luxury.
And the hottest muscle cars of my era — the ones plastered on every teenage boy’s bedroom wall — maybe made 200 horsepower on a good day. That was the dream: raw power in a Camaro or Mustang.
Now Jamie’s SUV, which she uses to get groceries and haul the dogs, has 380 horsepower, heated seats, a backup camera, built-in navigation, and still gets 23 miles per gallon.
The truth is, the family crossover in our driveway today could smoke half the cars we thought were king of the street back in the ’80s. And it does it with cupholders.
Mail
We had pen pals and postcards. A letter from a friend was a treasure. They send a Snap that disappears in ten seconds. I don't blame Megan for not knowing how mail works, she's never had to mail anything. Both my grandmothers could kill and dress a chicken. That particular skills not really an everyday occurrence today.
The Middle Chapter
Here’s the thing: I’ve embraced technology. I use it every day. But I also remember when life was different, when things took longer, when proving a point wasn’t instant gratification — it was a quest.
And maybe that’s why, when Megan called me to ask about stamps and envelopes, it hit me harder than she knew. She wasn’t just asking how the mail worked. She was reminding me that somewhere between Wyatt Earp’s time and her own, I became a middle chapter.
Not quite ancient. Not quite modern.
Just the guy holding onto both ends of the line.
Sign-Off
So yeah, Megan, letters still work. Stamps still stick. Envelopes still close. And your old Stepdad? He’s living proof that you can be born in the ’70s, raised in the ’80s, come of age in the ’90s, and still somehow stumble into the 2020s—no roaring, no art deco, just Amazon boxes on the porch and Spotify in the background.
And if someday you need to know how to fold a paper map, rewind a cassette with a pencil, or make a landline call without accidentally dialing long distance?
You know who to call.
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