If you’ve ever had a loved one undergo surgery at Medcenter One, you may have spent time here: the second floor Surgery Waiting Room. It’s a spacious place, with one computer to browse the Internet, several televisions, and lots of magazines. Some of those magazines are older than I am…I’m referring to their stack of National Geographics.

It seems to me the stack was larger last time I came through here, but perhaps it’s just more orderly. Tucked away in the corner, these magazines range back to the early 1960’s. I can’t help but take myself back in a timewarp (in a periodical sense) every time I’m in this room, and it does help pass the time very quickly while someone else is hogging the Internet computer. Hopefully they’re reading this blog, at least.

What a blast, reading about what we might find if/when we get a man on the moon! This particular issue talked about photos sent back by the first Surveyor probe sent up by NASA. Pretty cool, huh?

If you find yourself stuck at the hospital for a while, peruse this stack. It’s very interesting to look at the ads from nearly fifty years ago, as well as the photos and the articles. I remember reading one about some little Pacific nation called Vietnam, long before the Democrats started their ill-fated military action there. There are lots of camera ads, of course. Cover to cover, it’s neat to get such a glimpse at the past.

If you do find this treasure of magazines, please do your part to make sure that they stay right there in the waiting room where they belong, providing enjoyment for people who probably need to get their minds on something other than the person for whom they’re waiting.