Do you find yourself looking back into the past more than ever? It seems that everywhere we turn there are stories of tragedies--those caused by sick persons, those caused by nature and those occurring as a natural part of living. We yearn for a time, perhaps as children, when a problem was no bigger than did Susie like me better than Mary. Our parents shielded us from those things that would cause nightmares and needless concern, most of the time. But as we are farther removed form those disturbances the more our minds play tricks on us. We hear our friends or ourselves saying, "those were the good old days." Yes, in so many ways they were to us as children. But if we took the time to research the years of our childhood we might be surprised how our memories play tricks on us
I don't want to write sad things. My goal is to point out that our lives are good in so many ways-the past is gone forever and tomorrow is not here and today is all we have.
Let's take a quick trip back to the 40s, 50s, and 60s. We won't stay long because today is passing and we have so many wonderful things to see and do.
Early 1940s--the US economy was recovering from The Great Depression slowly at a snail's pace in some parts of the country. Hitler had invaded one European country after another. The rest of the world began to worry, especially the United States, who had been touting themselves as "isolationists." The attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941 and our country was at war. As children some had fathers who joined the war effort, rationing of some basic things brought about a change in living conditions. We learned to do without sweets except on rare occasions. Even the children were drawn into the war effort by collecting such things as tin foil, milkweed pods and newspapers.
Medical care was minimal. Penicillin was in it's infancy and we did not see general use until after World War II. A stroke was usually fatal or extremely debilitating: the same with heart attacks. There were no definitive tests for cancer-no ultrasounds or MRIS.
The production of cars and appliances were put on hold until World War II was over. Those first cars off the production line were utilitarian and not made for luxury.
1950s--our world had changed as we had known it. Many mothers went to work. The term "latch key children" came about and the security of the family was compromised.
They came home to watch the black and white television set found only in the living room. I believe the fuzziness of a parent's responsibility created some of the problems in the public schools that have grown worse today.
Polio reared its ugly head in the early fifties. I lived in the area of one of the worst epidemics. Polio vaccine was considered a miracle When its discovery was announced in April of 1955.
Many of our young men and women were involved in a little known country's battle with their communist counterpart--South Korea was invaded by North Korea. It was never declared a war but our causalities in the military were just as dead no matter the political
legalese.
The late 50s gave us a gyrating, handsome young man who turned the music industry up side down. Elvis Presley, the King of Rock and Roll.
1960s-brought Viet Nam, the sexual revolution and illegal drug use, the Beatles and
computers. Our life had changed forever. But we lived without cell phones!
There were some "good ole days" but many that were filled with the ups and downs of living on this earth. Its all about how we decide to deal with them
.
Life is good everyday....if we'll just look
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