A VISIT TO A SIMPLER TIME

Growing up in the 60's I saw the best of times and the worst of times. I lost a parent but had the best grandmother one could hope for. I grew up on a tree lined street with nice neighbors who were my village. At the same time there was a war brewing in Asia and another on our city streets. As a young boy loving baseball, I did not spend my days thinking about the big picture. As the first of a generation, a young prince, I was playing stickball, hanging with friends, and trying to be a good big brother.

The 50's and 60's were a time when this country was prospering as never before. We were growing up and building things. In fact, we were rebuilding the world! Jobs were good and money was flowing. Gas was 29.9 and we became a mobile nation. We were racing the Russians to the moon because we deemed that vital to our place in this world, and we won in 1969. For a kid this was a time of innocence, and my memories were all about the joy & simplicity of youth.

I remember the many services that were provided to us back then. Today people think it is great to order food delivered to the door, and it is a very desired service. Back during the "old days", with so many women being stay-at-home Moms having one car in a household, we had men who delivered milk, butter, bread and snacks, all right to our door....amazing right! These men were thoughtful, kind, and considerate. They pulled up in their company trucks, brought their items right to our door. We thought nothing of it because it was the accepted way for all of the middle class households in town.

Life today is about keeping up. We need to be learning about new tools, new software, new advances for both work and play. It takes time and we can't afford to get behind because the next new thing is just around the corner. In the days of my youth, the adults worked hard, played hard, and even went to the Jersey shore. The times were simpler, but we lived under the same sun, moon and stars as today. People made a lot less but things cost so much less, and our next purchase was not pictured first on Instagram. As I enter a very new time in my life, I will not tell you that these times are better. Convenience is a wonderful thing, but the ability to keep a life pace that is like those old days at the shore makes me think that these are not the best of times. They are only different times.