The Yorx electronic clock/radio in the photo above is one my parents bought for me just before I started high school – in 1978. It has been functioning ever since. Except for a few instances in which I transported it from one location to another, that clock has been plugged in and operating almost continuously. The radio doesn’t get much reception anymore, but the buzzer is still loud and perfectly operational. To put all that into perspective, I’ve been through four desktop computers since 2000 and five cell phones since 2001.
And yes, that’s a landline phone in the background of the above photo. My parents and I moved into this house in December of 1972, but didn’t get a phone until the following month – and only because my mother wrote a stern letter to the local telephone conglomerate. In those days, we’d otherwise have to find a payphone. Remember those? This area was newly-developed (former farmland), so there weren’t many of those devices around yet.
I have a backup refrigerator from the early 1990s that still functions. My parents remodeled the kitchen in 2006 and decided to get a new refrigerator; yet kept the old one. That 2006 model apparently gave up on life last year, and the cost of repairing it wouldn’t be worth the expense. But, like my Yorx clock, the older fridge has been working almost continuously for several years. I wrote last year about the house where I’m living; the place where I grew up and how it turned 50. My truck is 17 years old and – although showing its age – hasn’t even reached 100,000 miles.
Here are at least two other old things: London’s Big Ben clock, which has been fully operational since 1859, and a light bulb in a San Francisco firehouse, which was turned on in 1901 and has been on ever since. How many light bulbs have you been through in your lifetime?!
And here’s yet another – me! I’ll be 60 this November and I’m happy to say I’m evolving and learning. I just started a full-time job with a government-contracting firm, which I can only hope will last until I can retire – or an asteroid destroys the Earth, and I won’t have to worry about credit card bills.
Okay, I’m not a “thing”. But I am happy to say I’ve been around a while and I’m now reflecting upon my past years. I’ve often been one of those people to hold grudges; to recount previous conversations and events and achingly wish I could have done better. It’s been rough for me to understand I can never change the past. Whatever happened way back when brought me to where I am now – bruised and battered and imperfect, indeed. But I’m here – and so much better for it all.
More importantly I decided long ago I’ll never get “old” – whatever the hell that’s supposed to mean. I’ll age, of course, but not get old. I don’t care what people say now or in the future. I’m glad to be here in my present state.
Now, this “old” bastard will engage in another aged activity – reading a physical book. Some things just never get…well, old.
Chief Writing Wolf 
Like a fine wine you just keep getting better, A.
Those old clock radios never break down. It is a shame that technology has now incorporated obselesence into design. Most of it is gimmicks..I dislike complicated things and I think most seniors also do.
Thank you, Amanda! Years ago I would often hear older people say they don’t make things like they used to, and now, I realize how true that is. I’m afraid these younger generations are growing up too much in a disposable society.
Absolutely – everything is packaged and tossed. There is no concept of repair only replacement. This extends to not looking after objects to make them last. It is a shame as the planet pays the price. The younger generation criticise us for the situation they will have to face, and quite rightly at times, but on the other hand we used much less of other types of resources – especially plastic. How old were you when you first saw bottled water for sale in the stores? We used string instead of sticky tape….(I think you call it cellotape?) Right?
A close friend adamantly refuses to buy a new vehicle. I don’t know how things are in Australia, but here in the U.S., the official value of a new vehicle drops the moment you exit the dealer lot. He still drives a truck that’s about 30 years old! I’m different in that regard, however, because I have no affinity for repairing old vehicles, like my friend. However, I don’t throw away everything just because it’s been around a while. That why I say, if I ever adopt another dog, it will be an older animal – just to give it a new chance in life, especially in its later years.
As for plastic, that’s an entirely different discussion. I try to recycle as much as I can, but I know plastic has become an evil entity in modern societies.