DENVER 1958: HOPE AND CHANGE FOR A 16 YEAR OLD IN THE USA

DENVER 1958: HOPE AND CHANGE FOR A 16 YEAR OLD IN THE USA, a photo by roberthuffstutter on Flickr.

NOBODY IS TRAPPED--THE BUSES ARE STILL RUNNING, AND CAFES ARE STILL HIRING...a short essay about hope and common sense by Robert L. Huffstutter

Waking this beautiful Sunday morning, I thought about the freedom we enjoy. In many nations, one must be approved to move from one city to another, but in America, we can simply get in our autos or board a bus and travel to our chosen destination.

Nobody is keeping us trapped in a poverty-stricten city, nobody is denying us employment, nobody is keeping track of our every move from one location to the next--we are free to go where we feel we can gain the opportunities we desire.

I recall how when I tired of being a high school student back in 1958, I simply boarded a Greyhound bus and headed west toward Denver, Colorado. I wanted to change my lifestyle; I was seeking a change of scenery at age sixteen. Afterall, as an American, I told myself, why shouldn't I go to a city I wanted to see. I had a few dollars saved to finance myself for about a week. I knew I would find a job and place to stay.

When the Greyhound rolled into Denver, it was cold and snowing, but I had not expected palm trees and sunny weather. It was not a beach I was seeking then, it was simply a change, a job and a feeling that I was doing what I wanted. Through a flurry of snowflakes, I saw one business after another, all with neon signs in their windows and people hurrying along from one business to another in the cold, snowy weather.

When the bus pulled into this busy scene for passengers to depart, I took my suitcase and checked into the first hotel I found, only a few doors from the bus station. If I recall, the weekly rate was $15.00. I paid my week in advance and headed down to the street to seek employment. Within a hour, I had a job in a sandwhich and donut shop. I reported to work the next morning.

Opportunity is where one finds opportunity, but one must look. No, I did not stay at my job at the donut shop more than several weeks. I finally decided to go back home and get back in school.

What the experience proved to a sixteen year old boy was that as Americans we are free to travel and work wherever we find a place that will hire us. Nobody is trapped.

Though more than 60 years have passed since I took a bus out of town, those buses are still running. There are still cafes, hamburger joints and donut shops that are hiring.

Nobody is trapped. There are no excuses. Our first job might not be the one we will make our career, but it is a beginning, an opportunity to earn some money and make some plans for our lives.

If we feel like there is no HOPE for America, think again. It is not politics or politician that will save this nation--it is common sense.