stuff that might pertain to us
It was my class reunion,
and all through the house
I checked in every mirror
and begged my poor spouse
To say I looked great,
that my chin wasn't double.
He lied through his crowned teeth,
just to stay out of trouble;
Said that 'neath my thick glasses,
my eyes hadn't changed,
And I had the same figure--
it was just a mite rearranged!
Not so much like smooth satin,
but more like silk crepe.
I swallowed his words
hook, sinker, and line,
And entered the banquet hall
feeling just fine.
Somehow I'd expected
my classmates to stay
As young as they were
on that long-ago day.
We'd hugged farewell hugs,
But, like me, through the years,
They'd added grey to their hair,
or pounds to their rears.
But as we shared a few memories
and retold some class jokes,
We were eighteen in spirit,
though we looked like our folks!!
We turned up the hearing aid volumes,
and dimmed down the light,
Rolled back the years,
and were young for the night!
and all through the house
I checked in every mirror
and begged my poor spouse
To say I looked great,
that my chin wasn't double.
He lied through his crowned teeth,
just to stay out of trouble;
Said that 'neath my thick glasses,
my eyes hadn't changed,
And I had the same figure--
it was just a mite rearranged!
Not so much like smooth satin,
but more like silk crepe.
I swallowed his words
hook, sinker, and line,
And entered the banquet hall
feeling just fine.
Somehow I'd expected
my classmates to stay
As young as they were
on that long-ago day.
We'd hugged farewell hugs,
But, like me, through the years,
They'd added grey to their hair,
or pounds to their rears.
But as we shared a few memories
and retold some class jokes,
We were eighteen in spirit,
though we looked like our folks!!
We turned up the hearing aid volumes,
and dimmed down the light,
Rolled back the years,
and were young for the night!
Us Kids from the 70s Remember . . .
Mood Rings Andy Gibbs Wonder Woman
Captain Kangaroo Sesame Street M*A*S*H*
Stretch Armstrong Streaking Light Bright
School House Rock CB Radios 3-Speed Bicycles
Sweathogs Big Wheels Sanford and Son
Happy Days AMC Pacer Evil Knievil
Reverse Skate Oil Crisis UFOs
Jordache Jeans Dorothy Hamill Haircuts Black Lights
Partridge Family Farrah's Poster Afros
8 Tracks Shag Carpet Pong
Black Trans Ams Pinball Machines Rocky Horror
GI Joe with Kung Fu Grip Silly Pop Songs Disco
Easy Bake Oven Playing Outdoors Leisure Suits
Malibu Barbie Little House on the Prairie Star Wars
Kick the Can 45 Singles Rock em Sock em Robots
Mood Rings Andy Gibbs Wonder Woman
Captain Kangaroo Sesame Street M*A*S*H*
Stretch Armstrong Streaking Light Bright
School House Rock CB Radios 3-Speed Bicycles
Sweathogs Big Wheels Sanford and Son
Happy Days AMC Pacer Evil Knievil
Reverse Skate Oil Crisis UFOs
Jordache Jeans Dorothy Hamill Haircuts Black Lights
Partridge Family Farrah's Poster Afros
8 Tracks Shag Carpet Pong
Black Trans Ams Pinball Machines Rocky Horror
GI Joe with Kung Fu Grip Silly Pop Songs Disco
Easy Bake Oven Playing Outdoors Leisure Suits
Malibu Barbie Little House on the Prairie Star Wars
Kick the Can 45 Singles Rock em Sock em Robots
Congratulations!!
Here's to all of us born before 1979! First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they were pregnant with us. 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, locks on doors or cabinets, and when we rode our bikes, we had baseball caps--not helmets--on our heads. As infants and children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, no booster seats, no seat belts, no air bags, bald tires and sometimes no brakes. Riding in the back of a pick-up truck 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, real butter and bacon. We drank Kool-Aid made with real white sugar. And, we weren't overweight. Why? Because we were always outside playing . . . that's why! We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights cam on. No one was able to reach us all day, and we were okay! We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride them 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 Play Stations, Nintendos and X-boxes. There were no video games, no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVDs, no surround sound or CDs, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet and no 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 would get spankings with wooden spoons, switches, ping pong paddles, or just a bare hand and no one would call child services to report abuse.
We ate worm 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 poke 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!
How lucky we were to grow up as kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated so much of our lives for our own good. Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn't it?! :-)
Here's to all of us born before 1979! First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they were pregnant with us. 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, locks on doors or cabinets, and when we rode our bikes, we had baseball caps--not helmets--on our heads. As infants and children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, no booster seats, no seat belts, no air bags, bald tires and sometimes no brakes. Riding in the back of a pick-up truck 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, real butter and bacon. We drank Kool-Aid made with real white sugar. And, we weren't overweight. Why? Because we were always outside playing . . . that's why! We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights cam on. No one was able to reach us all day, and we were okay! We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride them 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 Play Stations, Nintendos and X-boxes. There were no video games, no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVDs, no surround sound or CDs, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet and no 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 would get spankings with wooden spoons, switches, ping pong paddles, or just a bare hand and no one would call child services to report abuse.
We ate worm 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 poke 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!
How lucky we were to grow up as kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated so much of our lives for our own good. Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn't it?! :-)
What Did Things Cost in 1974
Compared to 2014?
Item 1974 2014
House $35,500 $106,800
Car 4,052 30,000
Movies 1.77 8
Milk 1.36 3.45
Gas 0.39 3.60
Bread 0.27 1.50
Stamp 0.08 0.46
We Did NOT Have These in 1974!!
Ipads/Tablets YouTube
Cell Phones Laptops
Internet GPS Systems
Post-It Notes DVDs
Laser Printers CDs
Apple Computers Flat Screen TVs
Prozac Organ Transplants
Ipods
We DID Have These!
Telephones attached to the wall
TVs where you had to get up to change the
channel
Non-electronic calendars
Cars you had to use a key to start and open
the doors
Compared to 2014?
Item 1974 2014
House $35,500 $106,800
Car 4,052 30,000
Movies 1.77 8
Milk 1.36 3.45
Gas 0.39 3.60
Bread 0.27 1.50
Stamp 0.08 0.46
We Did NOT Have These in 1974!!
Ipads/Tablets YouTube
Cell Phones Laptops
Internet GPS Systems
Post-It Notes DVDs
Laser Printers CDs
Apple Computers Flat Screen TVs
Prozac Organ Transplants
Ipods
We DID Have These!
Telephones attached to the wall
TVs where you had to get up to change the
channel
Non-electronic calendars
Cars you had to use a key to start and open
the doors