Getting Old

Like many of you, I was born before television, photocopies, contact lens, Frisbees and the pill. We did not have radar, credit cards, laser beams, or ballpoint pens. Panty hose, air conditioners, dishwashers and clothes dryers had not been invented yet. Man had not orbited the moon, let alone walked on the moon.

My parents got married first and then lived together. Most every family had a father and mother. Growing up, I called every man older than me “sir” and every man with a title “sir”.

I was born before gay rights, computer dating, dual careers, daycare centers and group therapy. Time sharing meant spending time with the family in the evenings and on the weekends. We never heard of FM radio, CDs or DVDs, yogurt or guys wearing earrings. We listened to big bands, Jack Benny and the President’s speeches on our radio. The term “making out” referred to how you did on your school exam.

Pizza Hut, McDonald’s, Chick-fil-A and instant coffee were unheard of.

We had five and dime stores where we could buy things for five or ten cents. Also, ice cream cones, phone calls, rides on a street car and Pepsi were ten cents. Software was not even a word.

If you lived in town, grass was mowed with a hand mower. Coke was a cold drink, pot was something your mother cooked in and rock music was your grandmother’s lullaby. Aides were helpers in the principal’s office, a chip was a piece of wood, and hardware was found in a hardware store.

Pecans and hickory nuts were gathered in the fall and stored to be used in the winter.

I am grateful to have lived to be able to write stories for the newspaper, publish one book that has sold over 3,500 copies. It has sold all over the United States, plus seven foreign countries and is still being published. Also, a few years ago I published another book that has sold hundreds of copies, mostly in Oklahoma.