Because I grew up with seven older siblings, I developed a great appreciation for classic television.
I have great memories of the shows I grew up with – “ChiPs,” “Three’s Company,” and the Saturday night tandem of “Love Boat” and “Fantasy Island” – but I also cut my comedy teeth on the “Dick Van Dyke Show,” “Gomer Pyle, USMC,” and “Leave it to Beaver.”
Thanks to the magic of Netflix and other streaming services, shows like those continue to have a life. Since I have greater productivity with background noise, I have spent some time recently listening to the antics of Wally and the Beav as I get stuff done at work.
More often than not, I bristle when I hear people long for the good old days. I love nostalgia, but I think we need to find a way to balance that feeling with the understanding that we cannot stop things from changing.
That said, I have learned some lessons from the folks in Mayfield that I think we can apply to our lives today.
First off, we need to bring back the use of the word “hunk” as a unit of measurement. You know, like when Beaver would ask Larry Mondelo for a hunk of something or when Wally would say he wanted another hunk of mashed potatoes with his dinner.
By restoring “hunk” to its rightful place in the lexicon can prevent us from living such precise lives all the time. Sure, we need to watch our calories and pay attention to the details, but every time a guy just needs to grab a hunk of food and relax, right?
But as we prepare that hunk of food, we don’t have to look like a caveman. When I looked over at an episode recently to put the dialogue in perspective, I saw Ward Cleaver manning the grill in the back yard. He was wearing a suit.
I’m not saying that we permanently return to 1950s fashion rules where men always donned suits and women cleaned the house in pearls and a dress. As we have seen with “Mad men,” the dressing could hide some pretty ugly truths.
But why not throw on some nice clothes once in a while just because? Why not have a dinner party where everyone dresses up? Why not risk burning your tie while cooking steaks outside?
Lastly, and most importantly, we need to remember the reason Mr. Cleaver grilled steaks in his suit. The family had, much to Beaver’s horror, invited his teacher over for dinner because they wanted to welcome her to the town.
With the allure of chain restaurants which promise great deals and an unforgettable experience, we should never forget the simplicity of building personal connections within our community in order to make our daily lives a little bit more special.
In a time when even small municipal governments find it necessary to keep everything they do secret out of hubris and fear, we can too easily retreat into our own bubble as a means of self-preservation.
But the real lesson of the fake happiness portrayed in old sitcoms is that we can all make a difference with kindness and joy for no other reason than that’s how we want other people to treat us. Doing so while eating a hunk of meat just makes everything a little bit better.