A little house with three bedrooms and one car on the street, A mower that you had to push to make the grass look neat. In the kitchen on the wall we only had one phone, And no need for recording things, someone was always home. We only had a living room where we would congregate, Unless it was at mealtime in the kitchen where we ate. We ha d no need for family rooms or extra rooms to dine, When meeting as a family those two rooms would work out fine. We only had one TV set, and channels maybe two, But always there was one of them with something worth the view. < /SPAN>For snacks we had potato chips that tasted like a chip, And if you wanted flavor there was Lipton's onion dip. Store-bought snacks were rare because my mother liked to cook, And nothing can compare to snacks in Betty Crocker's book. Weekends were for family trips or staying home to play, We all did things together -- even go to church to pray. When we did our weekend trips depending on the weather, No one stayed at home because we liked to be together. Sometimes we would separate to do things on our own, But we knew where the others were without our own cell phone. Then there were the mov ies with your favorite movie star, And nothing can compare to watching movies in your car. Then there were the picnics at the peak of summer season, Pack a lunch and find some trees and never need a reason. Get a baseball game together with all the friends you know, Have real action playing ball -- and no game video. Remember when the doctor used to be the family friend, And didn't need insurance or a lawyer to defend? The way that he took care of you or what he had to do, Because he took an oath and strived to do the best for you. Remember going to the store and shopping casually, And when you went to pay for it you used your own money? Nothing that you had to swipe or punch in some amount, Remember when the cashier person had to really count? The milkman used to go from door to door, And it was just! a few cents more than going to the store. There was a time when mailed letters came right to your door, Without a lot of junk mail ads sent out by every store. The mailman knew each house by name and knew where it was sent; There were not loads of mail addressed to "present occupant." There was a time when just one glance was all that it would take, And you would know the kind of car, the model and the make. They didn't look like turtles trying to squeeze out every mile; T! hey were streamlined, white walls, fins, and really had some style. One time the music that you played whenever you would jive, Was from a vinyl, big-holed record called a forty-five. The record player had a post to keep them all in line, And then the records would drop down and play one at a time. Oh sure, we had our problems then, just like we do today, And always we were striving, trying for a better way. Oh, the simple life we lived still seems like so much fun, How can you explain a game, just kick the can and run? And why would boys put baseball cards between bicycle spokes, And for a nickel red machines had little bottled Cokes? This life seemed so much easier and slower in some ways, I love the new technology but I sure miss those days. So time moves on and so do we, and nothing stays the same, But I sure love to reminisce and walk down memory lane!
Hmm....Perhaps living in another part of the world does have its advantages. You see, much of what you call the "old days" are actually what happens to us today. In my country, most houses have only 2 or 3 bedrooms. No lawn-moving business though. Well, we have two phones, and no way to leave or hear recorded messages. And someone is always home. This remains the same in my country, except there are computers and (rarely) smaller TVs in the bedrooms. Who says we need a family room? Most of the time, people in my country have only one TV set in their homes, but lots of channels. Still applies for most people I know. Still applies to some extent; considering kids and young adults usually don't have their own cell phones here. Yes, we still do that much (but not all) of the time. We pay hard earned cash, not credit cards. We still have the milkman dropping milk on to our doorsteps every day at 6:30 AM Sorry, we get mailed letters right to our door, and absolutely no advertisements from any stores. I'm glad we still have some of the retro ways of life Essentially we are living your retro days, except that we have all the new technology
It sounds funny when I say this to people since I'm only 25, but I miss days like that. I did grow up in a time very similar to this. I was a child of the 80's and 90's but I grew up without being spoiled and lazy. I remember the days of getting up early to head outside with friends for a game of War or some sport or to ride bikes/skateboards and not come back home until mom shouted for dinner. I remember saying "I'll be down the block somewhere" and that was acceptable. Kids today have cell phones and pagers and parents have to have them call and check in every hour. I remember running down the alleys and the middle of the street playing hide-n-seek or other imaginitive games. I remember having to use my imagination. I did grow up with video games, but those were a fun thing to do when we couldn't go outside. I plan on having kids in the near future and I already feel sorry for them because they probably won't have the same freedoms I did, not more than 10-15 years ago. Now, you have to have adult supervision at all times if they are playing outside the backyard because of people driving too fast in residential or the ever present threat of someone taking advantage of the children. The joyous freedoms of what it's like to be a kid are gone sadly. Who knows, maybe someday I'll find a neighborhood like the one I grew up on, where everybody really did know everybody and seeing kids run through your yard playing football was an everyday occurrence, not a means to call the cops. Maybe someday...
This places still exist ... small towns in rural areas ... where time hasn't flown bye and the pace of life is still relaxed and peaceful. You'll find your special place some day. Seek and you shall find
