Remember the 50s? They were pretty good.

Are you one of us that can remember the 50s? People make fun of our childhood days! Comedians joke, Grandkids snicker, and Twenty-something’s shudder and say "Eeeew!" But was our childhood really all that bad? Judge for yourself:

In 1953: 

The US population was less than 150 million, yet you knew more people then, and knew them better...
And that was good.

The average annual salary was under $3,000, yet our parents could put some of it away for a rainy day and still live a decent life...
And that was good.

A loaf of bread cost about 15 cents and it was safe for a five year old to skate to the store and buy one...
And that was good.

Prime-Time meant I Love Lucy, Ozzie and Harriett, and Lassie. So nobody'd ever heard of ratings or filters...
And that was good.

We didn't have air-conditioning, so the windows stayed up and half a dozen mothers ran outside when you fell off your bike...
And that was good. 

Your teacher was either Miss Matthews or Mrs. Logan or Mr. Adkins, not Ms. Becky or Mr. Dan...
And that was good. 

The only hazardous material you knew about was a patch of grassburrs around the light pole at the corner...
And that was good.

Most families needed only one job, meaning Mom was home when school let out...
And that was good.

You loved to climb into a fresh bed because sheets were dried on the clothesline...
And that was good.

People generally lived in the same hometown with their relatives, so "child care" meant grandparents or aunts and uncles...
And that was good.

TV was in black-and-white, but all outdoors was in glorious color...
And that was certainly good.

Your Dad knew how to adjust everybody's carburetor, and the Dad next door knew how to adjust all the TV knobs...
And that was very good.

Your grandma grew snap beans in the back yard and chickens behind the garage...
And that was definitely good.

And just when you were about to do something really bad, chances were you'd run into your Dad's high school coach, or the nosy old lady from up the street, or your little sister's piano teacher, or somebody from church. ALL of whom knew your parents' phone number and YOUR first name...
AND THAT WAS GOOD !!!!!!!!!! 

Yes, the 50s were a slower, old fashioned, peaceful time. Today we have cell phones, jet planes and faster fancier cars. We move every couple of years so we can make a better living. We are surrounded by people we don’t know and have acquaintances, but not many friends. We make more money but it doesn’t go as far. The news comes at us 24 hours a day and we get more upset about poverty on other continents than poverty in our own towns.

Maybe, just maybe, we should learn a lesson from the 50s and slow down a little, learn to value the little things, make stronger friendships and give each other a helping hand little more often… ya think?

 

Today's Reflection:

Cynic: Someone who smells the flowers and looks for the casket.

Live Long and Prosper....