It’s that time of year again. Fall. My favorite time of year. And recently, I celebrated my birthday. A monumental birthday. A birthday that saw me turn 40.
Yes, that is correct. I am embracing my age. Forty may scare some but for me, it is a blessing.
I celebrated the day with my wife and kids. It was perfect. My oldest son and I watched professional wrestling (a tradition that I used to do as a kid). Later that day we went out for dinner with more of my family and when we got home, I got to enjoy a victory by my Tennessee Vols over Oklahoma.
I got to thinking ‘What else turned 40’ this year?’ Here are a few things that turned 40 as well in 2024. Movies included: Ghostbusters, Rocky IV, Police Academy, Gremlins, Splash, Footloose, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Terminator, Sixteen Candles and Beverly Hills Cop. Music included: Born in the USA (Bruce Springsteen), When Doves Cry (Prince), Hello (Lionel Richie), Time After Time (Cyndi Lauper), I Just Called to Say I Love You (Stevie Wonder), I Guess That’s Why They Call it The Blues (Elton John) and Thriller (Michael Jackson). Television shows that debuted in 1984 included: The Cosby Show, Transformers, Who’s The Boss, Murder She Wrote, Night Court, Miami Vice, Muppet Babies, Punky Brewster, Rainbow Brite and Heathcliff and the Catillac Cats.
In the world of sports, the 1984 Olympics were held in Los Angeles, Georgetown won the NCAA Tournament, the Boston Celtics won the NBA Finals, Los Angeles Raiders won the Super Bowl, Detroit Tigers won the World Series in five games, Edmonton Oilers won the Stanley Cup and professional wrestling was running wild thanks to Hulkamania!
Toys were also a big thing in 1984. The top holiday items were Cabbage Patch Kids, Transformers, G.I. Joe and Rainbow Brite.
Yes, 1984 was an awesome time. A lot has changed since then; from fashion, music, technology, and more. The average gas price per gallon 40 years ago was $1.13. Let that sink in.
Fast forward and here we are. A different time, a different world. When I turned 30 my wife played the Tim McGraw hit “My Next 30 Years”. Now that I am 40, she played a humorous song by social media superstars The Holderness Family called “40”. It really is a funny song about them turning 40.
We can not turn back the clock but we can make the most of time moving forward. That’s my goal for the next decade. Make the most of time. I do not want to waste time with petty things, stress over what I have no control over; I want to enjoy the little blessings I receive on a daily basis.
Dennis D. Cruz is a staff reporter for The Oakdale Leader, The Riverbank News and The Escalon Times. He may be reached at drcruz@oakdaleleader.com or by calling 847-3021.
