Reminiscing is an interesting thing. It makes us appreciate the good old days that we complained so much about.  Sitting with some friends recently we reminisced about “back in the day” and it got me thinking…

 In today’s world who would have thought that we would have a black president, a woman running for vice president who can see Russia from her backyard, little Michael Jackson grown up with kids, and buried already, gas prices at almost 3 bucks a gallon, cigarettes at 7 bucks a pack (glad I quit when I did) a nation fighting over healthcare, super stores for all your one stop shopping, and the mailman actually delivered mail?

 What I can recall growing up as a young adult was that gas prices were about 55 cents a gallon and a pack of smokes put me back 50 cents. The average cost of a house in 1976 was 45,000 and if you made at least 16,000-18,000 a year, you were doing well.

 Healthcare insurance, though by 1976 was on the rise, insurance was a given. Jobs offered it at affordable rates so Americans could afford to be insured and if not there were government programs that actually assisted people. America did not let Americans suffer with treatable illness. We did not live in a nation where insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies ruled us and had a huge say in our government.

 Back in the day, we did not have cell phones or Facebook, we actually had to communicate. People drove in their cars and did not text or talk on the phone. They actually paid attention to the road. It was a time to just listen to music or be in your head as you drove from here to there.

 In the good old days it seemed like we cared a little bit more, maybe because people were just a little kinder, a little more social. Maybe it was because we actually communicated with one another. We walked with pride and not in fear. Back in the good old days it was a time and place to raise your kids, not constantly protecting them. It was also a time for play with our kids and not shoving TV and electronic games in their face to entertain them. Parents really did spend quality time with their children. Maybe because they did not have to work three jobs just to support their family.

 In fact back in the good old days, schools even cared about children. In my day we were offered decent food at school and lots of activity. Physical education was a requirement not an elective that is on the chopping block. Millions of kids were not on Ritalin because they were active and teachers really cared what they were doing. There was no Aims test and all the bureaucracy. Teachers were really allowed to teach our children from their hearts.

 Back in the day super stores did not exist. We were allowed to have variety. We did not have to go to one store to buy toys, electronic, clothing, hardware and groceries. We were able to be adventurous and go to different places for different needs. We did not have stores so greedy that they wanted to service all our needs and the risk of compromising quality.

 Don’t get me wrong, I am glad for the advances in technology and that I have had an opportunity to watch the changes that have happened in the world around me; I just wish there was a balance between the simplicity of the old and advantages of the new.

 What do you recall back in your day?