David Richardson

Yep, I survived the 80’s.  Actually, I enjoyed that decade!

Earlier this week, I was reflecting on that period of time with some friends.  Here are some things that came to mind:

I was a teenager during most of the 80’s.  Born in 1970.  So I remember it well.

Ronald Reagan was the President during most of that decade.  Now, I didn’t know anything about politics.  But I remember looking at him as a grandfatherly kind of guy that seemed trustworthy.  My gut instinct was to respect him as our leader.

I got turned on to rock ‘n roll in the 80’s.  The first concert I ever attended was in 1984.  It was by Huey Lewis And The News.  What a fun night we had in Columbia, South Carolina.  I also remember enjoying the music of Bryan Adams, The Outfield, and U2.  The first time I heard the song, “Where The Streets Have No Name”, I was blown away.  Actually, I still am moved by that song every time I hear it!

Oh, and let me say this.  I fully realize that Michael Jackson was a bit of a freak.  Very, very strange.  But, with that being said, I was mesmerized by his album “Thriller” when it came out.  I played it constantly on my record player.  It was unlike anything I had ever heard before.  After I grew up, and learned more about him, I had a harder time listening to it.  But he certainly was quite an entertainer in his prime

As for fashion, I did own some pinstripe jeans, but I never, ever got into parachute pants.  I did own a Swatch watch, which was the “in” thing for a while.

As for tv, I remember hurrying home from Friday night high school football games so I could watch “Miami Vice.”  Looking back, I think I was more excited about the cool music, fast cars, and sleek boats than I was about anything else on that show.  At the time, I also thought Don Johnson’s character was cool with the car and with the alligator living on the deck of his boat.

Some big movies came out during the 80’s.  The “Back To The Future” series was huge, and so was the “Indiana Jones” series.  I loved both of those.  “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” was a big hit, and I reckon most of us saw it at least a dozen times.  “The Breakfast Club” was not one of my favorites, but that film really captured the thoughts of young people at that point in time.

I do remember one movie that scared me almost to death.  One night at a party in high school, a big group of us watched “A Nightmare On Elm Street”.  It was the first real horror movie I ever watched.  I did not sleep good for a couple of nights after that.  The thought of Freedy Krueger coming into my bedroom at 2:00 in the morning really creeped me out!!

Also, during the 80’s, I went to Italy, with a bunch of kids from the Latin Club at school.  My grandmama came with us too.  I remember she and I took a gondola ride in Venice one day, which was incredibly cool.  Also, on this trip, I shook hands with the Pople at the Vatican.  Some nuns were not too happy with me for sneaking up to the front of the line to shake his hand.  My guess is they were just jealous that some America Baptist kid got to do what they had wanted to do for years.

I did play sports during the 80’s.  Football was my main sport.  Left guard was my position.  Actually, I was pretty good on the offensive line.  Certainly not the best player, but I could hold my own.  As for basketball, I loved the game, but I never really got good enough to play it much on an organized level.

Believe it or not, I had fun with our school’s drama club.  I played a role in our junior class play entitled “Our Town.”  I even won an award for Best Supporting Actor.  Isn’t it strange that I remember that?!  During my senior year, I stuck with acting, and really enjoyed it.  I liked doing comedy and making people laugh.  It just seemed to come easily for me.  Never in a million years did I think I would like that sort of thing, but I did.  Fond memories of that!

I suppose the main thing I remember about the 80’s is that God worked in me.  He stretched me spiritually, and He called me into full-time vocational ministry.  I preached my first sermon during that decade too!

I’m not quite sure why I blogged about this today.  Just reflecting on my growing up years, I suppose.  I do have good memories of that period of time.

But I never did figure out how on earth to solve that doggone Rubik’s Cube!