TEN YEARS FROM NOW

This morning at Starbucks Coffee Shop, while sitting enjoying a cup of coffee, I heard a young man talking about his new computer and how amazed he was with some of the new innovations it had.  Not only was he happy with the computer in comparison to his old model, but he wondered aloud “I wonder what it will be like ten years from now.”  Ten years from now, an interesting thought.  Set me to reminiscing.

In the early 1940s, when I was a child, the family flew from New York to Boston in a brand new, two engine, American Airlines DC-3.  To me it was amazing and set me to wondering “I wonder what it will be like ten years from now.”  In the mid 1950s I was a student at Georgia Tech and the most advanced computing tool we had was a slide-rule, as there was no such thing as a personal computer or even a calculator.  We knew things were changing fast and it set you to wondering “what it will be like ten years from now.”

In the 1960s space travel started, and with my wife and young son watched an American astronaut land and walk on the moon.  It was as if Buck Rogers of the 21^st Century, from my childhood, had truly come to life.  And “I wondered what it will be like ten years from now.” 

And so it goes all the time and all thru your life.  As new progress is made that amazes us we wonder about the future and how it will affect our lives.  Just like this morning with that young man’s new computer and further talk about a computer and telephone wrist watch.

Of course “I wonder what it will be like ten years from now,” but have to pause.  I’m 76 years old.  For the very first time I had to ask myself, “Will I be here to see it?”