Author Topic: To live... (Read 440 times)

Mister Fork · « **on:** August 10, 2005, 12:53:00 PM »

Close your eyes...And go back...

Before the Internet or the MAC

Before semi automatics and crack

Before SEGA or Super Nintendo...

Way back...

I'm talkin' bout hide and go seek at dusk.

Red light, Green light.

Playing kickball & dodgeball until your porch light came on.

Mother May I?

Red Rover

Hula Hoops

Running through the sprinkler

Happy Meals

Charlie Angels and the Six Million Dollar Man

Wait...

Watchin' Saturday Morning cartoons

Fat Albert, Road Runner, Smurfs, Picture Pages, G-Force & He-Man Wonder, Woman & Super Man and Underoos

Playing Dukes of Hazard

Catchin' lightning bugs in a jar

Christmas morning...

Your first day of school

Bedtime Prayers and Goodnight Kisses

Climbing trees

Getting an Ice Cream off the Ice Cream Truck

A million mosquito bites and sticky fingers

Jumpin' down the steps

Jumpin' on the bed

Pillow fights

Runnin' till you were out of breath

Laughing so hard that your stomach hurt

Being tired from playin'

Your first crush...

Rainy days at school meant playing "Heads up 7UP" in the classroom

Remember that?

I'm not finished yet...

Kool-Aid was the drink of the summer

Giving your friends a ride on your handlebars

Wearing your new shoes on the first day of school

Class Field Trips

When nearly everyone's mom was at home when the kids got there.

When a quarter seemed like a fair allowance, and another quarter a Miracle.

When any parent could discipline any kid, or feed him or use him to carry Groceries, and nobody, not even the kid, thought a thing of it.

When your parents took you to McDonalds and you were so cool.

When being sent to the principal's office was nothing compared to the fate that awaited a misbehaving student at home.

Basically, we were in fear for our lives but it wasn't because of drive by shootings, drugs, gangs, etc. Our parents and grandparents were a much bigger threat! And some of us are still afraid of em!

Didn't that feel good, just to go back and say,

"Yeah, I remember that!"

I want to go back to the time when...

Decisions were made by going "eeny-meeny-miney-mo"

Mistakes were corrected by simply exclaiming, "do over!"

"Race issue" meant arguing about who ran the fastest.

Money issues were handled by whoever was the banker in "monopoly"

Catching fireflies could happily occupy an entire evening

It wasn't odd to have two or three "best" friends.

Being old, referred to anyone over 20.

The worst thing you could catch from the opposite sex was cooties.

Nobody was prettier than Mom

Scrapes and bruises were kissed and made better

It was a big deal to finally be tall enough to ride the "big people" rides at the amusement park.

Getting a foot of snow was a dream come true.

Abilities were discovered because of a "double-dog-dare"

Spinning around, getting dizzy and falling down was cause for giggles.

The worst embarrassment was being picked last for a team.

Water balloons were the ultimate, ultimate weapon.

Older siblings were the worst tormentors, but also the fiercest protectors.

If you can remember most or all of these, then you have LIVED!!!

StarOfAfrica2 · « **Reply #1 on:** August 10, 2005, 01:31:37 PM »

A few I can add to that list...........

Learning to ride a bike for the first time and learning that real bikes dont pedal backwards like a Big Wheel. Learning the joys of Coaster Brakes.

Jumping cobbled together ramps on our bikes and pretending to be Evel Kneivil.

Realizing that "customizing" your bike by removing the chain guard, no matter how much easier it made it to work on, wasnt a good idea if you were wearing bell bottom jeans. And having the scars to show for it.

Trading baseball cards in the summer, and thinking how cool it was to pull those boxes down and thumb through a complete team. Thoughts of how much money this guy's rookie card would be worth in a few years if I wrapped it in plastic and saved it in great condition didnt exist.

Knowing who Lou Brock and Mike Schmitt are without having to look them up; remembering Pete Rose as a great baseball player, and not an overweight man who got busted for gambling; basically worshipping baseball players as HEROS, because that was THE sport. And the players were still happy to meet fans and sign autographs.

Playing baseball in the front yard until it was so dark you couldnt see the ball anymore until it was about to hit you in the face. Just to get that last out. Because doing it "the way they really do it" mattered. Even without bases or uniforms.

Going out in the summer and staying out all day (as long as you were home in time for supper) and no one worried about you. But that didnt mean that no one cared. And you can bet your butt if you did something wrong while you were out, your parents would know before you even got home.

Getting grounded and "sent to your room" still meant something like punishment, because your room didnt have a TV and game console, and computer, and ........................

The President of the United States of America was still respected, no matter what people thought of his policies. And we still believed that ANYONE could grow up to be President, not the best schmoozer or the one with the most money.

You said the Pledge of Allegiance in school every morning, and didnt have to WORRY about what it meant until they made your kids stop saying it.

Schools still had a "Sadie Hawkins" dance. Why is it the girls were always braver when it came to that askin you to the dance stuff?

Teachers didnt teach for the money. They actually liked kids. And we liked them. Well except for that one.........

History teachers KNEW about History. Not just textbook stuff, but stories from their grandparents who were born before the turn of the century, and their parents, and their life experiences. My Spanish teacher in high school had been to Nicaragua and Chile and Mexico and taught Spanish as a language and not just from a textbook.

Hawklore · « **Reply #2 on:** August 10, 2005, 01:38:15 PM »

Jeez, I remember alot of thoughs..

When I'm up in Indiana I always, always, sit at the window around dusk waiting for those fireflys to light up, and go outside and chasem down...

Catching a bumble bee instead of a firefly...priceless...

I grew up in the phase in between todays society and that society..

Boy do I miss those days..

lazs2 · « **Reply #3 on:** August 10, 2005, 02:13:58 PM »

are you guys insane???? those things are all bad for you or potentially dangerous.... they have drugs for kids that are that active now..

Aren't you glad you elected women democrats to keep you safe from yourself?

lazs

vorticon · « **Reply #4 on:** August 10, 2005, 02:26:01 PM »

most of those seem reasonably familiar...and im only 17, maybe you should find something a bit more obscure yah old fogies

GtoRA2 · « **Reply #5 on:** August 10, 2005, 02:50:08 PM »

I knew you wore bell bottoms you little fruit!!:D

bustr · « **Reply #6 on:** August 10, 2005, 03:14:19 PM »

I remember when the television salesman delivered the television to your home wearing a suit and the telvision was considered a peice of formal furniture.

I remember when central airconditioning was too expensive for anyone but the really rich.

I remember when keeping a .38 revolver in the kitchen drawer next to the hammer and the screw driver was just another tool in the house.

I remember when playing army man or cowboys and indians ment we all ran around with toy guns and no ones mother called the police. And the police if they were around knew we had toys and didn't shoot us.

I remember when a fist fight between boys ment a difference of opinon and your father was more worried that you stood your ground like a man instead of his lawyers phone number.

I remember when catching one on the rear end in public for acting up only drew smiles from the adults watching.

I remember when good manners and common sense were the norm, not the target for annialation by Political Correctness nutjobs.

I remember respecting women and womanhood because only men acted like prettythangwipes in public....................... .

DREDIOCK · « **Reply #7 on:** August 10, 2005, 04:31:02 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by vorticon
most of those seem reasonably familiar...and im only 17, maybe you should find something a bit more obscure yah old fogies

My sone is 17 also and many of those things are reasonably familiour to him also.
Probably for the same reason.

You have a dad and mom my age who had the foresight to turn you on to many of those things from our childhood.

sling322 · « **Reply #8 on:** August 11, 2005, 12:46:08 AM »

Heh...far cry from my 2 nephews. I spent part of the summer watching them since I was out of work and my sister and her husband both had to work. I dont think they went outside ever the whole time I was there. I would ask them, "Dont you have any friends you can go outside and play with?"

"Nah....we wanna play video games instead." Or..."we wanna watch MTV instead."

Pretty sad. When I was their age, we were out all day long every day during the summer time. Course the world seemed to be a lot safer place back then.......

rpm · « **Reply #9 on:** August 11, 2005, 01:16:45 AM »

Your first Evel Knievel bicycle jump. (Landing similar to the Caeser's Fountains)