Time Capsule, November 22nd

A company I know pretty well just celebrated their 36th anniversary. (Congrats, guys!) When they made the announcement, they decided to organize a little contest asking friends, referral sources, fans, and followers of the firm to write in and describe what they were doing back in 1985, giving a gift certificate to the winning essay. So I rolled up my sleeves and sat right down on the couch. 1985 was a while ago! I really had to rack my brain to think about that year and how specifically I spent my time. Here’s what I remember…

In 1985 my hair was big, my dreams were big, and I was on the verge! The fall of 1985 found me just beginning my senior year in high school. I have an early birthday so I was already armed with my senior license and a barely operable but sound 1980 Chevy Citation that my parents gifted me to get around the suburban sprawl in which we lived. I was grateful to finally have the freedom of personal transportation– no more begging for rides by this gal! I was able to drive myself to school and finally ditch the dreaded bus. My Mom no longer had to collect me after tennis practice. I could see friends on the weekends. I happily used my car to commute to my new job as part-time legal assistant at The Jacobson & Jacobson Law Firm. (thankyouverymuch!) And the best part? I was allowed to drive into New York City; and this last bit was a total game changer.

We lived about 35 miles up the Palisades Parkway in Rockland County so the trek into The City was anywhere between 45 minutes and two hours each way depending on time of day and traffic. But I didn’t care one bit. Music blasting, windows down (yes the kind you had to manually roll down but so what) my friends and I belted out tunes from WPLJ by Madonna, Wham!, Tears for Fears, and Foreigner. The Citation expanded my horizons and opened my eyes to everything NYC had to offer — great restaurants like The Famous Ray’s Pizza on 11th Street and 6th Avenue and Serendipity 3 for the frrrozen hot chocolate, amazing shopping in The Village on 8th Street, and dancing till dawn some weeknights at Studio 54– entrance courtesy of my camp friend’s real St. Louis, MO license. (Thank you Mary Ann Calhoun!!) Yes, it was a hell of a 1985 and no, I never looked a thing like her.

Freedom was the prevailing feeling that year. I was completing my college applications longhand and planning my future. I was constantly yacking on my trusty Snoopy pushbutton phone for hours at a time while I wove the straightened squiggly cord around my fingers and then let it wiggle back into shape again. We talked about what the future might hold, who each of us had a crush on, and what anyone was wearing to hang out at Friendly’s after the big basketball game Friday night. It was a balancing act of enjoying the present and dreaming about what was next. My senior quote revolved around that theme, “Try and enjoy the here and now. The future will take care of itself somehow.” So said the melodious Howard Jones. Oh how prophetic he was!

Fast forward 35 years– I long for big hair, and my dreams are still big, but I live in NYC and I love every minute of being a resident here. Ok, almost every minute. I have to allow a bit of dilution for rats, garbage, and lack of parking due to incredibly inconvenient Citibike enclaves. (The dilution is a lender’s joke, people!) The last few decades have been incredible. I finished college, built a successful career, raised an amazing son, traveled the world, and have cultivated wonderfully fulfilling relationships with family, friends, and of course industry colleagues. And it all pretty much went by in a blink. So I guess I still need to focus more on the here and now since time seems to move faster and faster these days.