January 27, 2008

A day in the Life: My friend "Helen"

Her name is Helen. I met her one morning at the movie theatre. We older people like to go to the movies early on Friday mornings when we can see first-run features for $5. She was the only other person there and first to arrive. I asked her if she knew anything about the movie we were about to see. A smile lit up her face as she told me, "No," but then she began a detailed conversation all about how much she loved the movies, especially in the "Good Old Days."

She had no idea what movie she was seeing and it did not really matter. She just always liked to go to the movies. She told of her youth in Iowa when going to the movies was the only thing to do. Back then, they showed double features that included a cartoon or a newsreel, and the $9.50 or so you pay for one show now would have paid for double features all year long back then. As for me, I could only remember seeing a fifty-cent double feature at the Federal Theatre back in the 1970s. I had almost forgotten that double features ever existed, but I recalled how my junior high friends and I would go to the theatre at 6 p.m. on Friday evening, see both features twice and only pay $2. Our parents loved it because it kept us out of the house the entire night at bargain prices. Now, we pay a lot more for one movie, and are expected to leave after every show.

The conversation between Helen and I soon turned toward Arvada and Arvada history. We smiled and remembered when Arvada had a Shakey's Pizza Parlor over by the bowling alley on Olde Wadsworth. We talked about the Wadsworth Drive In, Vicker's Gas Station, Craig Chevrolet, and a number of old Arvada landmarks that no longer exist. I told her of my neighbors, my friends, who lived most of their lives in Arvada remembering when Carr was a gravel road and how all the rush hour traffic had to try to filter through what is now Olde Town.

By this time, the movie commercials and trailers were about to begin. We didn't have those in the good old days either, at least not the way we do now. Our conversation ended out of courtesy to the other patrons, but she did mention where she lived and I noted that she lived right down the street. When the movie was over and the house lights came back up, I looked for her, but she was gone. I smiled and went about my day.

I told my girlfriend about the woman I met and how she lived in our neighborhood. Soon, I would realize that I had known her for a long time. As it turns out, she is the woman who always sits in the sun on her front porch and waves at my girlfriend and I as we jog past her house. Helen happened to be out that day as we walked by on our way to the grocery store, so we stopped to say "hi." Helen admits that her memory "isn't so good anymore," and, even though she remembered going to the movies, she didn't remember me. I guess it is just my natural charm, since I seem to have that effect on most people. Nonetheless, she soon remembered everything and our conversation began anew. As it turns out, she has trouble sitting very long and had to leave the movie early. I filled her in on how the show ended. With time short and errands to run, we said our goodbyes and went on our way.

It took a while, but it occurred to me that there are many other people like Helen living all over Arvada who lived their entire lives here, or came here and could not move away. I am one of them. Of course, my 28 years pale in comparison to Helen's 40-plus or others I know with totals over 80, but we all attest to the fact that there is something special about Arvada and the Arvada area. Sure, the city has changed and put on a different face, but the soul remains much the same. The soul of any city is the people who make it their home and make their neighbors their friends. The soul of this city is the people like Helen living in communities and neighborhoods who turn them into communities and neighborhoods rather than just rows of houses. Yes, a few wealthy and famous people help to give a city its face, but the heart and soul will always remain with the many common folks who make that city their home. After all, what would a beautiful façade be without a heart and a soul? What would a beautiful house be if it weren't someone's home?

It's funny, but now I seem to run into Helen just about everywhere I go. I smile and say, "Hello, Helen," and she looks at me with that same, puzzled look of non-recognition before she smiles and returns my greeting. It is not really so unusual that I see her so many places. There are so many like her all over our city. If it were not her I was seeing, it would be someone just like her. A day in the life of Helen is just a day in the life of your community. The next time you are out there and you see her, even though she may not recognize you, be sure to smile and say "hello" anyway. Her face may change with time, but she will remember you and she is sure to be smiling back. You will soon realize you have known her longer than you thought. She still lives right down the street.