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| For All Those Born Before 1945... WE ARE THE SURVIVORS! Consider the changes we have witnessed: We were born before television, before penicillin, before polio shots, frozen foods, Xerox, plastic, contact lenses, Frisbees and the Pill.
We were before radar, credit cards, split atoms, laser beams and ball point pens, before pantyhose, dishwashers, clothes dryers, electric blankets, air conditioners, drip-dry clothes - and before anyone walked on the moon. We got married first and then lived together. How quaint can you be?
In our time, closets were for clothes, not for "coming out of." Bunnies were small rabbits and rabbits were not Volkswagens. Designer Jeans were scheming girls named Jean or Jeanne, and having a meaningful relationship meant getting along well with our cousins. We thought fast food was what you ate during Lent, and Outer Space was the back of the Riviera Theater.
We were before househusbands, gay rights, computer dating, dual careers and commuter marriages. We were before daycare centers, group therapy and nursing homes. We never heard of FM radio, tape decks, electric typewriters, artificial hearts, word processors, yogurt, and guys wearing earrings. For us, timesharing meant togetherness - not computers or condominiums; a "chip" meant a piece of wood; hardware meant hardware, and software wasn't even a word!
We hit the scene when there were 5 and 10 cents stores, where you bought things for five and ten cents. Sanders and Wilson sold ice cream cones for a nickel or a dime. For one nickel you could ride a streetcar, make a phone call, buy a Pepsi or enough stamps to mail one letter and two postcards. You could buy a new Chevy Coupe for $600, but who could afford one? A pity, too, for gas was 11 cents a gallon.
In our day, cigarette smoking was fashionable. Grass was mowed. Coke was a cold drink and pot was something you cooked in. We were certainly not before the difference between the sexes was discovered, but we were surely before the sex change. We made do with what we had. And we were the last generation that was so dumb as to think you needed a husband to have a baby!
No wonder we are so confused and there is such a generation gap today! BUT WE SURVIVED!!!! What better reason to celebrate? ~By B. Winnell "Pinky" Quarles~ |
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