Destiny's Voice

I had a short wave band on my radio when I was a boy.  

At night, in the darkness of my room, I would listen to the evocative sounds of hockey being broadcast from places like the Olympia, in Detroit. The exploits of Gordie Howe, Alex Delvecchio and Norm Ullman captured my imagination.

 

The sounds of static as the dial traveled the distances between the signals...and then Radio Free Europe, broadcasting its messages to the dour countries behind the Iron Curtain. 

 

Languages I never heard before, wondering their origin and who spoke in such staccato bursts... then the signal fading out. 

 

I could usually find the BBC World News Service, and a pirate radio station broadcasting off the English coast or from a border town in Mexico. To a small boy living in a small town in southern Canada, the world outside seemed like a mystery calling to be explored. 

 

You could hear Destiny's voice broadcast from all parts of the globe, urging you to make the thrilling expedition to adventure.

 

© Patrick O’Neill 2009. All rights reserved.