With my birthday fast approaching, and with it another milestone ( social security eligibility ) it causes one to reflect a bit. Those little moments of reflection can come at unexpected times and in unexpected ways. Just the other day I was talking with my granddaughter and she was talking about going to the mall. I told her, Morgan when I was your age there was no such thing as a mall. She was naturally surprised and strangely, so was I. I'm that old ? Thinking back to my youth I could remember going to a rather large department store and once I think we went to a shopping center, which later on was called a " strip " mall. But no, we didn't have any malls and I hadn't even heard of such a thing. The internet informs me the first indoor mall was built in 1956 in Indiana. It wasn't until the 1980's that the malls we know today were built. Yup, I am that old. We now build little towns inside a building ! Some people go to these " malls " just to visit ! My own sister traveled to Minnesota just to go to the Mall of America. And she lives in Florida ! Who would have thought ?
Yes there are moments when I have to chuckle. New inventions come along and the younger folks get excited. The truth is a lot of those " new " inventions are just a rehash of the old. This is most apparent in fad and fashion but appears elsewhere as well. I saw a posting the other day regarding our " smart " phones that made me smile. It went something like this, if you went back to the 1950's and could tell those people what we have today what would be the most amazing ? The answer was, I have this device in my pocket where I can call anyone I want and access all the knowledge man has acquired since the beginning of time. Most of the time however, I use it to take pictures of myself ! Amazing indeed !
I do believe we live in a far more dangerous time than when I was young. You would think that with all our " advances " in technology and " human rights " that it would be the opposite. Not so, just watch the evening news and it becomes immediately apparent. Now I hear them talking about " free range parenting " as if that was a thing. For those of my generation we called that, playing outside ! I believe society as a whole has degenerated somewhat. We have become less civilized and more self centered. Civilized, meaning to live in a society is becoming " politically incorrect. " To conform to the " rules " of society is now becoming an unfavorable image. Now it is all about me and my needs ! That wasn't so back in the day. We were taught to keep a civil tongue in our head and use our manners !
All of this is just a part of the aging process. Changes can be unsettling. When things that are unexpected begin to happen to you more often, that is a sign of aging. We are just not as current as we once were. Hopefully though ,we are comfortable. I'm comfortable enough with my age and position in society. I take advantage of the " senior " discounts whenever possible and whatever other privilege may be offered. I listen and try very hard not to snicker with derision when these young folks try to inform me about life issues. You know, when they " know it all. " Even though there are many things I wish I hadn't seen or experienced there are just as many I'm thankful I was here to witness. There are plenty of little moments to take pleasure in if we but pay attention. There is an unexpected advantage of age and it is a blessing. Age may blur the past and make the unpleasant things there fade away. We will remember what we choose to recall. It just takes practice. Those memories are always with us. I don't miss the old days, I live them in brief moments of time. You do have to guard against getting lost in the past, that is easy enough to do. Live today, remember yesterday and hope for tomorrow.
Yes there are moments when I have to chuckle. New inventions come along and the younger folks get excited. The truth is a lot of those " new " inventions are just a rehash of the old. This is most apparent in fad and fashion but appears elsewhere as well. I saw a posting the other day regarding our " smart " phones that made me smile. It went something like this, if you went back to the 1950's and could tell those people what we have today what would be the most amazing ? The answer was, I have this device in my pocket where I can call anyone I want and access all the knowledge man has acquired since the beginning of time. Most of the time however, I use it to take pictures of myself ! Amazing indeed !
I do believe we live in a far more dangerous time than when I was young. You would think that with all our " advances " in technology and " human rights " that it would be the opposite. Not so, just watch the evening news and it becomes immediately apparent. Now I hear them talking about " free range parenting " as if that was a thing. For those of my generation we called that, playing outside ! I believe society as a whole has degenerated somewhat. We have become less civilized and more self centered. Civilized, meaning to live in a society is becoming " politically incorrect. " To conform to the " rules " of society is now becoming an unfavorable image. Now it is all about me and my needs ! That wasn't so back in the day. We were taught to keep a civil tongue in our head and use our manners !
All of this is just a part of the aging process. Changes can be unsettling. When things that are unexpected begin to happen to you more often, that is a sign of aging. We are just not as current as we once were. Hopefully though ,we are comfortable. I'm comfortable enough with my age and position in society. I take advantage of the " senior " discounts whenever possible and whatever other privilege may be offered. I listen and try very hard not to snicker with derision when these young folks try to inform me about life issues. You know, when they " know it all. " Even though there are many things I wish I hadn't seen or experienced there are just as many I'm thankful I was here to witness. There are plenty of little moments to take pleasure in if we but pay attention. There is an unexpected advantage of age and it is a blessing. Age may blur the past and make the unpleasant things there fade away. We will remember what we choose to recall. It just takes practice. Those memories are always with us. I don't miss the old days, I live them in brief moments of time. You do have to guard against getting lost in the past, that is easy enough to do. Live today, remember yesterday and hope for tomorrow.
No comments:
Post a Comment