Odyssey of Time and Space

2009 sounds so strange.

In 1962, our third-grade Weekly Readers described life in the year 2000: flying cars and wrist radios and food capsules, the Jetsons come to life. We calculated how old we'd be on that far off New Year and laughed at the ridiculous idea we'd ever be that old. The year 2000 stretched our imaginations to the limit.

I am now nine years older than I would never be. My son graduated from high school in 2000. My daughter will graduate from college in 2010, a second space odyssey.

Meal replacement bars, food supplements, processed meals now crowd store shelves. iPhones left wrist radios in the dust. Alas, cars still roll down highways but "experts" still report flying vehicles hovering around the corner.

It would be hard to get used to writing 2009, but I almost never write checks any more and autofill takes care of dates on letters and such. The 24-hour news cycle replaced weekly any thing, including Readers. We have ventured off the edge of the map. "Beyond here, there be dragons."

The Great Beyond lacks guideposts but it's got plenty of possibility. And who knows, maybe even flying cars.