Andy Smallman

It’s quite apt in the world in which I grew up, at least that part of my teenage years, to follow a post about my brother’s Gremlin with one about the disco demolition the Chicago White Sox baseball team held between doubleheaders in 1979. The ensuing fiasco was so great that the second game of the doubleheader had to be canceled. It was a landmark moment for a lot us, especially my brother Steve.

Remember your first car? Mine was a 1980 Chevy Nova, but it doesn’t stand out for me as much as the Gremlin, like the one in this picture, purchased by my brother Steve when he was 16 and I was 15. My Nova had been our family car before I got it. But Steve brought his Gremlin into the family himself, so it was all his.

As a 10th grader, I occasionally got to ride with Steve to school in the Gremlin. It had a unique smell, like the inside of a tire shop. More importantly, it had a cassette player built in. No more having to listen to whatever the deejay played.

The Gremlin playlist included Elvis Costello, the Ramones, Devo, and more. Devo’s Jocko Homo will forever be associated by me to that car.

Last Saturday, while driving in our Seattle neighborhood, I spotted this Gremlin. I made Melinda circle the block so I could get a picture to send to Steve.

That’s the title of the pilot episode of The Twilight Zone, that fabulous TV show from the early 1960’s. Over the next three weeks I’m presenting one episode each week on the Kind Living Blog, starting with this one, and making a related kind action suggestion.

It’s part of what I call my online kindness classes that I’ve been offering for years.

Each Wednesday I’ll post a little inspiration related to that week’s message and then on Sunday, before announcing the next week’s episode, I’ll post my reflection comments on the concluding one. I think it could be a lot of fun, so click here to access the first episode.

Speaking of that first episode, you can buy an audio adaptation of it, if you like. A short story version of can be found in “Stories from the Twilight Zone.”

PS – Thanks to my kindness class artist Fish Astronaut for providing this image and the others I’ll be using!