ah, yes…those were the days..or were they??
Back in the day….
I ran across this photo the other day..it is one of my all time favorites of my 3 kids taken by my ex-husband. Must have been late 70’s considering their ages. But it got me to thinking….What will people of this generation do when all their photos are on their phones or computers and not in albums or hanging on the wall? There are so many things I wish we still did or had from “back in my day”…and here are a few I came up with..
Remember when TV was free – We had I think, about 8 channels and an antenna to get them. But we didn’t know any different and were happy with that. We also had such quality shows on tv back then. Now we have thousands of channels.. a very expensive bill each month….and nothing to watch.
Remember when it was free to play sports in school – at least I don’t remember paying for anything back then. I don’t remember paying for anything my kids did in school either. They just played and had fun. Sports back then weren’t such a big deal as they are today and they didn’t have to go 4 hours from home to play their game. I also don’t remember having to buy them all the things they needed to use everyday, like pencils or tablets(and I mean paper ones). They got them at school. For free.
Remember when doctor visit costs were minimal and no insurance was needed – the doctor we went to knew us…I mean knew us…he knew everything about us and our family and we never had to remind him of something he should have known because “he” was the doctor. He was like a family member. And he cared.
Remember when we knew all of our neighbors – And I do mean all of them. It was great. Our parents didn’t have to worry about us because someone always knew us and what we were up to. I have lived in this house for 10 years and only know the person who lives to the left of my house. Maybe if people would try to get to know their neighbors again it would help us all understand each other a little better.
Remember when people said hi to you on the street – This is kind of related to knowing our neighbors but not really. We would go to the mall or grocery store or even just walking down the street somewhere and come upon a stranger…we would smile and they would smile back and offer a greeting of some sort. Now if I smile at someone I don’t know they look at me like I have two heads. Would it really hurt you to just smile back…
Remember when families ate dinner together every night – Yes, every night…regardless who had some activity or sport we still ate together. We laughed and we all told stories about our day. We bonded for that hour or half hour or whatever amount of time we had. But we had it and we were all together…and we were better for having had it.
Remember when people weren’t checking their phones every five minutes – We could go to dinner with friends or family members and actually have an uninterrupted conversation. Wow. I know some of you didn’t know this could even happen. I know I am guilty of doing it sometimes but I try to turn it off and just enjoy the people around me. Life is short. We all need to be more present in the moments we have with the people we care about.
Remember when people dressed appropriately – People dressed professionally for work. They wore suits and the women wore dresses. Yes, I get that times have changed and these are old fashioned outdated rules. Having said that, is it appropriate to wear tennis outfits and exercise outfits to work?? And my answer to that is a big NO…unless of course you are on your way to play tennis or work out. But not at work. At the store where I work they recently relaxed their rules about what the employees could wear. Now customers ask me who works here and who can I talk to about this item I bought…they say it is hard to tell who is working here and who is on their way to the gym. I have to agree with them. There is something to be said about looking professional at your job…if you dress like you don’t care, quite possibly you don’t! And this goes for kids as well. The way they dress for school or to come to the mall is appalling…I realize this makes me sound like an old lady…well so be it. Who are these parents letting their kids go out of the house looking like they are going to the beach…tank tops(the kind I wear under things) and their tummies sticking out? I could go on and on about this one…it is all about having a little respect.
Remember when we left things unlocked – We left our cars and our doors unlocked when I was growing up. Now we have security systems in both and they still get broken into. What has changed? Why did people behave differently back then?
Remember having fallout shelters – I recently dropped my grand daughter off at school and saw a very faded “Fallout Shelter” sign on the side of the building. The school was built in 1949. It immediately took me back to the 60’s and seeing this sign everywhere. We also had drills in school where we were all huddled under our desks or out in the hall way crouched down on all fours covering our heads with our arms. Do they even do this at school anymore?
Remember when appliances and cars lasted forever – Very rare was the occasion we had to replace an appliance. They just didn’t break down. They lasted so long my parents would just get tired of them and buy an updated one. And cars…my Dad would always buy new and it would last until he was sick of it. And they didn’t always need a repair or a part fixed. If it did, he could most times fix it himself. We didn’t have to take it in to the dealer and have them run it on some machine to have the electrical system checked out to see what the problem was. Of course he always bought an American car. He had a fit when I got a foreign one.
These are just a few I thought of. I know there are a bunch more and maybe you can think of something I didn’t and post it below in the comments. I also tend to think the music was better back then too, but that’s just me.
“Nothing is more responsible for the good old days than a bad memory.” ~ Franklin Pierce Adams (too funny and too true…I do have a bad memory these days)
I have mixed feelings about nostalgia. Certainly, I can pine for the days of civility and neighborliness. Even in New York City, my mother didn’t lock her apartment door during the day in the late 1950’s. Research was done in libraries or (if your parents scrimped and saved) a home set of encyclopedias – I ended up reading mine almost cover to cover. But I don’t miss “coke bottle” glasses that wore down my eyes and ears. Nor do I hesitate to take my blood pressure medication. My father’s mother died from complications of hypertension in the 1930’s, something treated so easily today.
You are right Alana…not everything about the good old days was good…but I miss the ones I mentioned….Thank you for your comments.
Oh, my word! All of the above! And food without additives. And candy that had sugar and natural flavours! I could go on and on . . . Sigh.
Oh yes…food without additives…why? just why was this ever started in the first place??? Thanks Diane…
I hear you Renee! The life of appliances really bugs me and figuring out how to run them! Seriously my sister’s kids are all brainiacs married to brainiacs and none of us could figure out how to turn on the clothes dryer until my sister came to the rescue. What happened to on and off switches ????
Haralee, I kinda laughed a little picturing all of you trying to turn the clothes dryer on…but you are right, why is everything so difficult now?
I loved all these Renee – not all of them apply in Australia, but the vast majority rang a bell. We used to only have 3 TV stations when I was growing up – and yet there was plenty to watch. Now I rarely watch television because there is so little of interest – unless you’re into reality TV or cooking (neither float my boat I’m afraid).
Leanne, thank you for your comments….and why… if we have 1000 channels there isn’t anything worth watching??
YES! All the time I find myself wandering back to the good ol days….hmmm we won’t say that makes me old. But……
We are certainly NOT old Michele….at least you’re not…:)
Ohmygosh. Renee. You hit on each and every one of MY gripes. I understand when people say just because a female shows most of her attributes, that men shouldn’t think they “want IT”, but really…we have to understand that a man’s brain is wire VERY differently….unfortunately. (not all men, of course) One place to say hi and get a hi back, is the Rail Trail or a hiking trail. Even the bikers are very friendly. Just this morning Andy was reading about a restaurant and it said “upscale casual” and asked what it was. I guess it was not wearing your camouflage hat or a tshirt that says “I’m with stupid”. Just sayin’… When I think back to us hiding under our desks? How on earth would a hunk of wood hold up against a bomb!!!??? Yesterday we had a new dryer delivered…the “old” one was exactly 10 yrs old. Really??? Salesperson told us 10-12 yrs is the average! Of course…how else would the investors have a good quarterly report!!! Grrrrrr. I was in a medical facility last week and when a nurse called a gal back, the gal just kept on talking on her phone while walking behind the nurse. I noticed the signs to turn off cell phones have mostly disappeared. One waiting room even has a phone-charging shelf. The high school sports are soooo out of control. The high school fields look like professional college ones. Can anyone say HIGH property taxes? Well, I’ll calm down now. Thanks for another good blog.
Peg, you are so right ad I have found when walking on the trail up at the falls people do say hi…and smile(a forgotten trait) so guess I need to hike more…and I do need the exercise! Thanks Peg for your insights…and calm down…LOL!
Great post, Renee. These are great memories. To sit at a dinner table and have a family conversation is indeed something that we remember with great affection. To hear each person tell about their day and listen to my parents comment on the events of the day was an integral part of quality time. You ate what was put before you and you were thankful for the food that was placed before you. Everybody knew their neighbors and were not afraid to show up next door panhandling for a cup of sugar, flour, or other food necessity. Women and men dressed appropriately and did not appear in public looking like they did in the privacy of their bedroom. Phones were either on the wall or on a small table. If you needed to check a fact, you found someone with a set of encyclopedias or called the newspaper to have someone run down an answer. There was a book published years ago entitled “Bowling Alone”. It hit the nail on the head as we have become more detached from one another and from society in general. Christmas shopping was done in stores after Thanksgiving and you met people you had not seen in a while. Today, many sales are online so that personal touch is a thing of the past. We sound like our parents but we speak the truth.
Thank you Andy! And everything you said is so true…maybe if people would talk to one another the world would be a better place….and yes, we do sound like our parents…but that’s not a bad thing…:)