The Best of Times

Every generation thinks that they are living in the best of times. I look at how people are living now and I long for the x-generation to get a glimpse of what life was like when I was growing up. I grew up in the 60s and 70s. Times seemed tough then, but when I look back, I realize how free and easy my life was.

I would get home from school and my Mom would be there. I’d change into play clothes, have a snack and go outside until sunset before heading home for dinner. My friends and I would find many ways to keep busy. There was always somewhere to go and something to do. We would walk or ride our bikes for miles without worrying about too much traffic – you were surprised if you saw more than 5 cars an hour! There were no worries about being abducted. We went up to the fields and chased the cows, scooped up tadpoles in the ponds, caught fireflies at night, and we were HAPPY!

We would go ‘pool hopping’ because just about every family in the neighborhood had a pool. Our parents didn’t worry about getting sued when someone got hurt – the Mom of whatever house we were at would wash our wounds and bandage us up. There were no arguments over what one friend had that you didn’t – everybody shared everything, we took turns. We made games and made up games. One of my favorites was when my Dad took an old cigar box, cut slots in the front, and we would shoot marbles at it to try and make more points than our sister or friends. If you didn’t have it, you made it. If you couldn’t make it, you used your imagination or played with something else. We were very HAPPY!

You didn’t care who had more money than you – there wasn’t much to buy anyway. If your family was in need, the neighbors and Churches would help in any way they could. Families would gather at night and socialize – face to face! If it was a weekend, all the kids would stay outside running around. We would get neighborhood baseball, football games going – and the parents played WITH their kids. When it got late, all the kids would go into the playroom and fall asleep on the floor while the adults talked, played cards, or watched a movie. Parents and kids were very, very HAPPY!

You didn’t have to fret that you might leave your mobile phone home – the only people who had wireless ‘phones’ were the crew of the USS Enterprise! You just made sure you had a nickel in your pocket in case you had to call home – from a phone booth. If you didn’t have a nickel, you could go up to almost any house and ask to use the phone. They might even give you a snack while you were there. We were extremely HAPPY!

Money went farther because you had a heat bill, an electric bill, a phone bill, a grocery bill and taxes. You didn’t have to pay to watch television – you had 13 channels and an antenna on your roof. You didn’t care what was on TV, except for the cartoons on Saturday morning because you were outside most of the time – summer AND winter. You didn’t have to have the best and newest “smart phone” with the most expensive data plan. Car insurance was cheaper because most families only had one car. A doctor might charge $5.00 a visit – he could do that because he didn’t have to pay for malpractice insurance, people didn’t sue for every little thing.

Schools were a safe place. If there was a bully, he was sent to the Principal’s office and had to face the real music when he went home. If you acted up in class, the teacher would put your desk in the front of the class for all the students to see. You were embarrassed, but you dealt with it, and you changed your behavior.

So, you may think you have it made with your cell phones, computers, rooms with TVs that get 400 channels, video games and every new toy that the market can create. Give me the good old days that were free and easy! We were truly HAPPY then.

From Grandma, with love.