Have you ever thought about how deprived Opie was growing up in Mayberry when he did? He missed out on so many things. He never was able to enjoy all the fun of spending his summer vacation at a Day Care Provider. He never learned to surf the net or spend countless hours playing exciting violent video games on a beautiful summer day. He wasn't exposed to anything that would have enabled him to grow up much faster than he did. He didn't experience all those hours of watching large screen TV movies or professional multimillion dollar athletes dancing in the end zones. Opie never had the opportunity to ride a school bus back and forth to school each day and he didn't participate in highly organized and competitive sports where he learned the importance of winning at any cost. He didn't have basketball camps, soccer camps, football camps, computer camps, or any of the other countless extra curricular activities that our schools now provide. Opie did not learn how to be independent by being able to come home to an empty house nor did he learn to "just say no" to all those temptations that our young people now have. He wasn't able to "express himself" by getting his ear pierced or by getting tattoos. He was forced to wear neat clean clothes to school and a suit to church.
Poor Opie. Because he grew up in Mayberry all he could do was spend his time fishing with his father and his friends. He had to spend his evenings doing his homework or playing games under the street lights. Instead of going to Day Care he had to meet his friends and go out into Crouch's woods and use his imagination to pretend he was Robin Hood. Perhaps the worst thing was he was never warned about being careful of strangers. As a result Opie actually talked with Weird Willy out in the woods and became friends with Mr. Dave the unemployed vagabond who wandered into Mayberry one day. Opie even had to attend a school that did not have a guidance counselor or school psychiatrist, so when bullies picked on him, he had to go to his father for advice. And if that wasn't bad enough, he had to work for his quarter allowance by cleaning out the garage, taking out the ashes, and setting the table. Top that off by having to sit out on the front porch at night with his aunt and pa. What if one of his friends would have walked by and seen him? Yes, poor Opie. What a shame it was that he had to live in Mayberry. He missed so much. At least that is what many people might say. But I have a feeling that if we asked Opie, he would say something completely different. I have a feeling he wouldn't have wanted it any other way. Ken Anderson 2906 May Street Eau Claire, WI 54701 (Home) 715-839-8470 ( Cell ) 715-210-1556 [EMAIL PROTECTED] www.mayberryreflections.com _______________________________________________ WBMUTBB mailing list [email protected] http://wbmutbb.com/mailman/listinfo/wbmutbb_wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
