Monday, January 02, 2006
To All The Kids
A thought provoker from friend Kathleen that needs to be shared.
TO ALL THE KIDS
WHO SURVIVED the
1930’s 40’s, 50’s, 60’s and 70’s !!
First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they
were pregnant.
They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn’t get
tested for diabetes.
Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs
covered with bright colored lead-based paints.
We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we
rode our bikes, we had no helmets, not to mention, the risks we took
hitchhiking.
As infants & children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, booster
seats, seat belts or air bags.
Riding in the back of a pick up on a warm day was always a special treat.
We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle.
We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and
NO ONE actually died from this.
We ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank koolade made with
sugar, but we weren’t overweight because .
WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!
We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back
when the streetlights came on.
No one was able to reach us all day.
And we were O.K.
We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride down
the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the
bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.
We did not have Playstations, Nintendo’s, X-boxes, no video games at all, no
150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVD’s, no surround-sound or CD’s,
no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet or chat rooms..........
WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!
We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no
lawsuits from these accidents.
We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us
forever.
We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays,
made up games with sticks and tennis balls and, although we were told it
would happen, we did not put out very many eyes.
We rode bikes or walked to a friend’s house and knocked on the door or rang
the bell, or just walked in and talked to them!
Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn’t
had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!
The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of.
They actually sided with the law!
These generations have produced some of the best risk- takers, problem
solvers and inventors ever!
The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.
We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned
HOW TO
DEAL WITH IT ALL!
If YOU are one of them . . CONGRATULATIONS!
You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as
kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated so much of our lives
for our own good.
And while you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know how brave
(and lucky) their parents were.
Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn’t it?!
Done By The Second!
It is pushing 40 degrees outside, the snow is fast disappearing, and the outside lights are on the kitchen table waiting to be tucked in a cardboard box until next year. A light drizzle of rain and some wind made the job a bit of a pain in the butt but I’ll be dry and warm shortly. The idea that I don’t have to worry about wading snow to pull the lights down made it worth the small discomfort. It’s extremely quiet here today. Jay is taking a little snooze. Seems like all the celebrating (with food that is) finally wore him out.
I forgot about the Rose Bowl Parade telecast and I don’t think I can see much of it this time of day. But I’ll close for now and pick up those knitting needles for a while. Take care, stay warm, and remember to smile if you can’t quite laugh out loud!
Sunday, January 01, 2006
The First Day Of 2006
The first day of 2006 and the ‘girls’ were the winners! The score was 528 to 327. I saw my first triple pinochle when Cindy laid down her meld. It seemed we could do no wrong for once!
A big plus was that between Cindy, David, and I we have almost all the Christmas decorations down and put away. The only thing left is two extension cords and the roof line strings of lights.
Hope you had a good New Years Day.