I think we all reminisce about times in our past. I know I do. I also think about how good those days were way back then. Happy moments of our childhood and as we grew up into adulthood.
I wonder how many of you remember the 11" round black and white TVs, or staying up so late the only thing you saw on TV was a test pattern, or listening to radio shows and visualizing the story in your head. And then there was the time you are laying on the living room rug and your mother wants to try out her brand new Electrolux or Hoover electric sweeper. Or the day your mother ordered stuff from the Fuller Brush man or the Tupperware party held at your house. Sometimes I hear a song and my mind starts to wander back to the first time I heard it, or a moment it reminds me of.
Because we did not live in great neighborhood, my parents would take me to a nice neighborhood to go Trick 'n Treating on Halloween. I, and the rest of the kids, would run as fast as we could from one house to another to get more of the cavity creating goodies in a pillow case. My costume was usually homemade and cheap. A Hobo or a Ghost.
As we got older, other things mattered more than candy. We wanted to be popular and sit next to the cutest girl or boy in class. Maybe be lucky enough to someday go on a date with your first love. Maybe to the friday night high school football game or the saturday dance? And then sneak a quick kiss.
After high school, things changed. It was either get a job, go into the military, or if you were lucky enough, go to college. I did the first two. But it was all good. I got the opportunity to travel and see the world. It inspired me to go to more countries and learn about different cultures, religions, foods and lifestyles. I believe it was better than college. I did the college thing later in life.
As a kid, I was always under my parents restrictions ... ok, their rules. As an adult I thought I could do whatever I wanted. WRONG! Somethings maybe, but not all. Being an adult meant you had to grow up. Take on responsibilities and blend into the daily society, not be the carefree kid you were before. That really became a reality when we had our first child. Fun time was not over, but, focused on the future of our child and us as a responsible couple and parents. The fact of us becoming our parents was scary. We saw the problems they had. When you set rules for your children and suddenly you realize it sounds like Dad or Mom? OMG!
As the kids grow up and they become parents too, you look at them and say to yourself,"I guess we did OK as parents." And then the grandkids start coming. How do you handle being elderly and have grandchildren. Do I correct the things I did wrong while raising our kids? Sure you do. And maybe, just maybe treat the grandkids a little easier than you did your kids. That's what grandparents do, right?
In a few days, we will be celebrating Thanksgiving Day with friends and family. A day to give thanks for ALL we have and have done over the past year. The tradition is a spread of too much food that we all share. In our house, we have a tradition too. I ask everyone at the table (and it is a long table) to tell everyone what they are the most thankful for. There is no judgement made to what they say, I just want them to appreciate what they have in life.
I believe everyone should be thankful for their family and friends, home, food and our free country. We are all fortune to be Americans and have all the wealth this country has.
I also reflect back to a passage from a book I read many years ago. A young lieutenant in the Civil War wrote to his fiance,"I lay here sad and depressed that I have only one leg, when I looked to my side and saw a man with no legs at all." You may have a lot or not much, but be thankful for what you have and maybe share what you have with others who have nothing.
Take care, stay safe and HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
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