I’m just saying . . . We could learn alot from Andy
I'm just saying . . . James Cook - Times Editor
It was a sad day.
Last Tuesday, July 3, we lost not only a television icon, but a moral compass as well. The news came fast and hard that Andy Griffith has passed away at his North Carolina home. It was a time to start reflecting on simplier times.
For those of us that grew up watching his show, that familiar whistle signaled that it was time for wholesome fun and down home values. Opie, Aunt Bee, Floyd the Barber and of course, Barney Fife were just a few of the characters that made us feel good about ourselves and realize that everybody has ups and downs even in Mayberry.
Even the “law-breakers”, Otis and Ernest T. Bass, though a little rambunctious and ornery, even they learned a lesson or two from Sheriff Taylor’s gentle demeanor.
But Andy was the glue that held it all together. His down-home wit and wisdom, his easy-going, home-spun philosophy made life seem fun and simple. That was a deep contrast to what times really were and are today. But for that 30 minutes, all was good.
Some people don’t like the show. Maybe its because its in black and white mostly, or because it depicts small town people as being a little backward. But I’d rather be a little backward and know we are doing what is right by helping each other in the community.
The first time I layed my eyes on Clay City the first thing I thought was I’m in Mayberry. The town was quiet, nice and friendly. People left their doors open on summer nights and the keys in the car. Things were easier and less complicated. It was a place that expected to see Andy Taylor drive by and hear the Darlings playing their music.
I miss those times.
I’ll miss Andy Griffith.
Sure, his show has been on the air somewhere in America since it first aired in 1961, even though it only lasted seven years. But he was more than just a show. He loved to sing hymns and talk about God. It seems the Andy we saw on television was the real Andy.
If we all could act a little like Sheriff Andy Taylor, trying to be helpful and looking for ways to accentuate the positive, who knows what we could accomplish in our own small town.
This week to honor him and Mayberry I chose to not place any negative or crime stories on the front page. Sure we had some of those stories and I know that some people love to read those stories, so we probably won’t sell a lot of papers this week. But it feels good knowing that we can still present the news but do it, just this once, like we were in Mayberry.
I guess many of you, like myself, watched a lot of the shows this past weekend. They are funny and at the same time we can learn something about being fair, right and true. I grew up watching them and I encourage my daughter to watch them.
Later in his life Andy Griffith talked a lot about life and getting closer to God. Like all of us he knew he was getting older, which means we have more days behind us than in front of us. But he never dreaded getting older and embraced life for what it was – a gift.
I can’t help but think of the music video he did with Brad Paisley for the song “Waiting on a Woman.” In the video it shows him wearing white, waiting on a bench and the song says something about going on before his wife to meet the Lord. He says he be waiting.
I believe he is waiting, not just for his wife but for all the adoptive residents of the fictional town of Mayberry. I’m glad I’m one of them.
I’m just saying . . .