NASTALGA

Most of the articles I write these days are a reflection of the past. Some people like to refer to the past as the good old days. I would never do that simply because there were a lot of bad old days intermingled with the good ones.


It appears that it is much easer for the human mind to block out the bad and more vividly remember things such as the loves, friendships, parties, achievements, Christmases, social/family events, marriages, births, graduations, military service, a good job, money etc..

It is a little more difficult to really think back and remember the break ups of loves/friendships, hangovers from the parties, failures, family fights and bad presents from Christmases past, hassles of readying for and attending social/family events you did not necessarily want to attend but once you did had an even worse time than you anticipated, divorces, the pain and suffering of pregnancy and birth, deaths, the stress and failed expectations of college, combat duty, bad jobs/between jobs, lack of money etc..

Bad things happen to everybody. You will never make it through life without some of the bad things above and a litany of other disasters touching you. If you are a young person be prepared. If you are older, you should have learned to deal with life slams by now. A clear head, planning and persistence are the key. If you are a religious person, praying may help with the clear thinking and focus but regardless of the Deity to which you are praying, they all appear to help those that help themselves.

There is an old saying that I read somewhere along the way: “You are not judged by how badly you screw up or get knocked down by a bad event but rather how you react and how quickly you recover.”

Personally I think the bad that happens to us has more of an impact on who we are than the good. The bad has more of a lasting effect and causes a person to pay more attention to his circumstances. This focus aids insure he is better prepared next time if the event cannot be avoided altogether. Without the bad events we would not as well appreciate the good that comes our way.

I guess the point I am making is that when we old codgers look back on our lives and start thinking things were so much better in the old days, we should really think about it. Were they really all that much better? Do a reality check. I personally think it is a mixture of better and worse. I think many things like crimes were always there, we just did not hear about them 24 hours a day and in the detail we have today. Health issues are much better addressed today. Most of us older folks would have been long dead or worse in the old days. Look at all the issues you think were better and think about it. 25 Cent per gallon gas - Yes, but purchased on a $30 a week or less salary using a vehicle that got 8 miles per gallon.

So, to conclude these ramblings, I am asking you to really think about what it was really like when you tell the grandkids about “the good old days”. Were they really as GOOD as your initial reminisce concluded they were?