NOSTALGIA!

by Shirley M. Carolan

If you’ve ever visited the British Isles, and London in particular, you probably saw and remember the red, double-decker buses, the red, rotund mailboxes, and the red telephone booths. They just seem to stand out in a bustling city full of tourists from all over the world.

As a child growing up in London, before WWII, I vividly remember the red telephone booths, with heavy plate glass and telephone book dangling from a ledge. I also remember after putting my pennies in a slot pushing “Button A” and, when the other party answered so that I could talk to them, pushing “Button B.” I can even remember taking shelter in them during a rainstorm.

American telephone booths are set up a little differently and not nearly as colorful as I was later to learn when my family emigrated to America. But, with the advent of cell phones, I guess that won’t matter much any more because all pay telephone booths will be disappearing from view and memory. How sad! They are/were an institution and a lifesaver to those of us who don’t own a cell phone and probably never will. I mean, I’m a party of one so who on earth would I call? My little Shih-Tzu is clever but not clever enough to answer a phone.

Be that as it may, I have very fond memories of my London childhood despite the bloody bombs destroying a lot of it during WWII. Hence, the red telephone booth was a bright beacon of warmth, cheer, and solidity in an otherwise dismal war. But, I never thought I’d ever miss it, or that I’d ever feel that it was an important, or sentimental part of my life ... until I visited Carlsbad, California in 1995, almost 50 years later.

I had flown down from San Francisco to the Toastmasters International Convention being held in San Diego that year. A friend rented a car, I paid for the gas, and we did some sightseeing driving up the coast. As soon as we hit Carlsbad, I saw it and nearly jumped out of the car! Lo and behold, there was a beautiful, sparkling, red, English telephone booth at the edge of the lovely Carlsbad Inn by the sea. I could hardly believe my eyes as my heart pounded in my chest and tears of joy fell down my cheeks.

Nostalgia engulfed me! Somehow, after all these years in America, I knew I had “come home.” I just knew this is where I wanted to be and live out my days. I went back to San Francisco, immediately put the house up for sale, (it took over 2 years to sell because real estate was slow moving in 1997 and prices had fallen dramatically, just like today) and set my sights on Carlsbad.

December 1997 I made it to Oceanside, California and I couldn’t be happier. I have visiting rights to that beautiful, red, English telephone booth. Yes, I’ve come home!

Shirley M. Carolan, ATMG
Artist ● Speaker ● Writer
artistwithaflair@att.net
Phone/Fax: 760-732-0663
http://www.shirleycarolan.com
http://www.smcarolan.blogspot.com

Copyright© 2008 by Shirley M. Carolan. All rights reserved. To reprint any part of this article simply contact Shirley Carolan at artistwithaflair@att.net. Thank you.