Those Awful Good Old Days

People of the younger generation laugh and joke when older folks go to reminiscing about the good old days. They find it deplorable that older members of our society had to live in such an old fashioned, technology free world. They wonder how we managed to survive without all of the modern day wonders that they take for granted, or as part of life’s necessities.

Years ago, a telephone was a luxury for most families. The single status symbol in the home, hung on the wall, or sat on a table top, proudly telling visitors of your good fortune. You had to stand in one spot to talk on it, but that was fine, because you were always glad to take time to talk to your neighbors and family members. It didn’t really ring to often anyway, because a lot of your friends and family didn’t have a telephone, and really found no need for such a luxury.

Years ago, a family get together was anticipated with excitement and joy. The adults gathered in the house and the children played outside, if the weather was nice. The women would mostly hang out in the kitchen, cooking great smelling dishes, and passing the newest baby around the room.

The men all hung out together, talking about cars, fishing, hunting or their jobs. At times they’d all wonder out to the garage, if there was one, to look over the newest repair job, each offering their own bit of advise, on the cheapest repair strategy. You fixed, repaired and patched up the best you could, just to get a little more use out of something, rather it was the family car, the tractor, or even the old washing machine.

The children, of all ages, played together in the yard, or at least close enough to be within shouting distance. The neighborhood, open fields, creek beds or huge rolling hills and mountains, depending on location, was theirs to explore. They gazed in wonderment at the different fish swimming in the creek, or new plants, trees or tiny animals that lived in the surrounding areas.

The outdoors held many unseen adventures, and the children were never bored, no matter how many times they had explored the same places. The older ones, unquestioningly, kept an eye on the younger ones, because they were older and proud to be awarded the task of herding the younger ones around. They delighted in showing the younger ones all the discoveries they had already made, on previous adventures.