In 1960 Dave Eagleston spent a memorable summer working on a farm west of Alva. He learned to drive a tractor, do farm chores and bathe in a water trough. He also learned about Alva and the German POW camp located there during World War II. It all made a lasting impression on a city boy getting ready to start high school in Tulsa.
After a career as a commercial pilot traveling around the world, Eagleston now lives in McKinney, Texas, where he decided to use his youthful experience to write a book. Although fictional, Eagleston’s book draws from his experiences that summer and his research into Camp Alva to weave an entertaining tale.
Eagleston will be in Alva for a book signing of “West of Alva” at Graceful Arts Gallery during the First Friday Art Walk Oct. 4, 6-8 p.m. He’ll have some copies of his book available and hopes to get acquainted with folks in the town where he spent an interesting summer. A longer review of his book will be in the Friday Alva Review-Courier.
The Rule of Age 10
Eagleston’s book is an example of how our youthful experiences impact our lives as adults. Once I learned to read, there was no stopping me. Set a box of cereal on the breakfast table, and I’d start reading it. Books, newspapers, magazines, whatever was handy became a source of interest. When I ran out of other materials, I’d grab an encyclopedia volume.
All that reading paid off in excellent English grades. Spelling, grammar, all of it just came naturally. When I took the SAT or ACT or whatever it was back then, I excelled in English. However, I chose math as a major for college because English was so easy it was boring.
I also spent most of my childhood around my parents’ weekly newspaper office. Eventually, I started working summers there. After marriage, my first employer was a job printing shop where I used my English skills and what I’d learned at the newspaper. Later I began working in radio, writing advertising copy (English) and then adding bookkeeping (math).
As I was looking through the October 2019 Reader’s Digest, I noticed an article titled “The Rule of Age 10” by Bruce Gierson. It first appeared in Psychology Today. Gierson said while he was doing research for a book about midlife career changes, a pattern emerged. Many of the stories he found described people who remembered their childhood enthusiasm. They found that what made them happy and fulfilled at age 10 or 11 or 12 still made them happy as adults.
At age 10 we feel capable of doing anything. Physical coordination suddenly gels. Rather than just trying to figure out the world around us, we become philosophers.
Around this age, professional athletes choose their sport. A child develops empathy and decides to help others. Preferences for being outdoors or being active develop. Others may become more focused on exploring art, robotics, fashion, etc.
Gierson says, “Age 10 is a developmental sweet spot. You’re old enough to know what lights you up, yet not so old that adults have extinguished that fire by dumping more practical and ‘realistic’ options on it. In other words, age 10 contains our source code.”
My daughter comments on how useful she finds the skills she first learned as a child. She was always an avid reader. She began running a video camera at weddings at age nine. Her photo experience began even earlier. She interviewed people and wrote news for the newspaper, designed ads and pages. She built her own computer to take to college. All these skills have paid off in her current job assisting college professors to develop online courses at OSU.
If you’re thinking about a career change or looking for a new hobby, think back to your childhood interests. If you’re a parent of a 10 to 12 year old, give your child the chance to explore many activities and skills. Those early experiences may point the way to a fulfilling adulthood.
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