What's Wrong With Dirt Roads?

I grew up in the 50s and 60s and my parent home, my home, was on a dirt road. I really don't remember when it was paved but do remember it had sidewalks and gutters even though it was a 'dirt' road.

I was young then, and that dirt road represented home, a haven, a place to play safely and you definitely did not have to worry about traffic. If you did have a car occassionally, it was almost always someone you knew and we waved and we each knew each others name. Maybe this is why I don't regret growing up on a dirt road and if we were poor, I did not know it.

My dad always went to work each day and mom did not work until I was maybe 10 or more and had been in school for 3 or 4 years. Home to me on that dirt road, was safe house that I never worried about anyone breaking in and if someone pulled up in the driveway, it was a relative or a friend. We kids stayed at each others homes and we played together, road bikes together and all this we did on an "old dirt road".

That road coming from school or town or work was the way home. The things that dirt road led me to my family's safe haven in each of our worlds. It lead me to a homecooked meal at breakfast, lunch, and supper (dinner to you city folk) that satisfied the soul. We had pork chops and gravey, fried chicken, meat loaf, salmon crockets, or maybe ham and biscuits and gravey. There was always dessert and it was homemade pecan pie or coconut cake, or my favorite, devils food cake, or a chocolate cake with white icing...I can taste it now.

Our lives revolved around our meals together I think. Funny too, I don't remember mother ever asking me or my brother what we wanted for dinner or supper. I guess that is why I eat everything today because mom and dad put a little on my plate even if I objected. After a few meals with that mystery something, it began to taste good even to me. You can cook for me today and like then, you do not have to ask me what I want. I was not brought up that way!

So that dirt road leads most folks my age down memory lane to some wonderful and innocent times. We did not have gangs, or driveby shootings as who would drive 5 miles out of town and then up a dirt road to shoot at someone. We locked our house at night but it was always unlocked during the day and we all came and went as we pleased and I don't remember having a key as a young man. I don't remember drug problems or kids fighting or hurting each other except on rare, very rare occassions. We did live in some innocent times on that 'dirt road'.

I look around today and maybe, just maybe, asphalt and concrete are the causing of many of our social and behavioral problems today. Schools complain today about lack of disapline, but the disapline I learned was at my dad and mom's knee, not at school. If you messed up at school, you were in twice as much trouble when dad got home from work, so we behaved ourselves.

I hope I have caused a few chuckles as I remember dirt roads in my life. Maybe we need to build some more dirt road away from the cities, towns and shopping centers and see if the simple life is really like I said it was. No, not really, as we cannot go back in time. I was just fortunate to grow up in a very innocent time and the dust made me who I am. Do you think anyone told us we were not well off because we lived on a dirt road...? No! We really had it made.... ...Jeff