It’s somewhat surprising to me that I find myself deeply entrenched now in the “Good Old Days/When I was a Kid” stage of life. I used to roll my eyes and make the standard jokes when my mom or dad would start off a conversation using one of those lines. “Yeah, I know, you had to walk 30 miles to school in the snow, uphill…both ways!” Or sometimes, “You had to get up before the sun rose and go milk the cows and gather the eggs…and then start the long walk to school in the snow, uphill, both ways!” Or, if I was feeling particularly annoyed or rascally, “Don’t tell me…you had to chip the ice off the top of the ol’ wash pan, splash your face with the freezing water, milk the cows, gather the eggs, and then, with your face still frozen, walk the 30 miles to school in the snow…uphill, both ways!” (Neither my mom or my dad grew up in the country, or had any livestock, but that didn’t matter. And the “uphill, both ways,” had to be tacked onto the end of every wisecrack I tossed back at them regarding their reminiscent remarks, which were always intended to be inspiring, sage advice.) However, these days I find myself starting many a comment (or, blog post) with an opening like, “When I was a kid/child/wee lassie,” or “Back in the day/good old days,” or “In the 1960’s/’70’s/’80’s/90’s,” or “I liked it better when…” Unfortunately, I could never make the claim of walking 30 miles to school in the snow. It would have to be more like, “2 miles in the snow, on level ground,” and what kind of impact would that make on today’s youngsters? Absolutely nada! I prefer to point out that I have had to go outside, to an outhouse, at 3:00 am, when it was 20º outside, and sit there while the icy wind fanned my bare bottom. That line usually causes a slightly raised eyebrow or two. However, as usual, I widely digress.
Let’s get back to the point by examining my experience at the grocery store today. I stopped in to grab a moderate amount of items in preparation for the next few days, because we are expecting a rather significant winter storm. I was thinking that I would beat the “clear the shelves, the white death is coming!” crowd, because I was getting an early start, and so many people were still at work. Boy, was I wrong. Instead of lots of other people with regular-sized carts, I encountered the giant, multi-order sized carts that the store employees use for gathering the groceries for the modern, online orders, that then get picked up in special parking spaces in the parking lot without the “shopper” ever having to leave the car (spaces which used to be handicapped parking, so now handicapped folks are being dropped off at the door while their ride sits outside by the curb – and who can blame them?! – so that getting in and out of the store as an old-fashioned shopper is nearly impossible!). Oh boy, do I miss the days when most people shopped for themselves, especially in situations like this. Regular carts you can maneuver around, but these multi-order carts are big enough to be pulled around by a pair of oxen…and that’s no yoke! (Bidda boom, bidda bang!) Not only that, these carts mimic the new handicapped parking methods now being put to use outside – the employees leave the monsters blocking off large sections of produce or shelf space while they wander up and down the aisles gathering the items they need (mainly because they don’t have oxen, and must push those monster wagons around themselves). Today, every single one of those carts must have been in use, and it was a shopping obstacle course! I leaned over near one of the older employees struggling with one of those carts and posed this question, “Don’t you miss the days when people shopped for themselves?” He sighed deeply, rolled his eyes and answered, “Yes, on days like today…I really miss that!” That’s one of the good things about us “Back in the Day” folks. We know how to spot a support group member a mile away, and can always elicit concurrence from co-members, as well as dispense or receive sympathy, as needed.
Some of the other things I miss about my own good old days include (but are not limited to) the following:
* The number one, most important thing I miss about my good old days is not having all of my children under the same roof with me anymore (or, at least within shouting distance!).
* Not carrying a communication device with me everywhere I go. (Generally speaking, I miss being disconnected from anyone & everyone who is not actually in my presence, or within shouting distance, except in the case of my grown children/grandchildren who live far away, which is why I’m now on Instagram!)
* Not knowing exactly what time it is every millisecond of the day.
* Receiving the respect that an older person should be offered (not that I was on the receiving end of that kind of respect when I was a kid, but, now that I’m worthy of it, it’s in very short supply….kind of like Social Security funds.)
* Kids playing outside in the neighbors’ back yards, or in an open lot. (Now that I’m an old lady, who am I gonna yell at to be quiet if no one is playing outside?!)
* Small, family-owned businesses, where you knew all of the employees by name, and were up-to-date on all of the latest gossip about them (and vice-versa!).
* Loyalty.
That’s all I can think of for now, because…., well…….my memory is just one more example of where a shortage exists, and I do miss that, too, most dreadfully! At least I still have my sense of humor…if I could just remember where I put it. It’s gotta be around here somewhere… Well, just read my post and hit the like button while I go look for it!
