That was Yesterday. And, Yesterday is Gone.

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I've always been intrigued by listening to the stories of elders. Tales about riding in a horse drawn carriage or on a steam locomotive. And, I was envious that I had not seen the rapid change that they had. Think about Their Days when there were no refrigerators, televisions, telephones, or affordable cars. Few could travel by air, many were killed in the great wars, times of famine, hard work, and widespread poverty.

Now that I am quickly becoming an elder, I can only reflect back to Those Days. But even with that, I have experienced great change. Things that many of you have not experienced and take for granted, just like I did.

So, I'd like for you to relax and think back for a moment about the change that has occurred in just the last 50 years, then take the poll to the left. If you were not around then, I'm sure you'll recognize some from your history lessons. I'll summarize just a few.

In Those Days, Negroes could not attend many of our schools, yet they were mandated to join our armies. Some of us had telephones and televisions, yet they were always connected by wires. We recited the Pledge of Allegiance and said the Lord's prayer every day in school, yet we forgot most of it by the time we got home. Women worked outside the home, but only as secretaries, nurses, teachers, or waitresses. Tattoos were taboo, yet men grew their hair long. We pledged peace, yet we waged wars. We beat baseball cards against the spokes of our bike wheels, not knowing that some would be worth thousands someday.

We played tether ball at school, after school. There were no soccer moms, yet my mom made our scout uniforms. There were no SUV's, yet there were station wagons. We had flying model airplanes, yet they flew in a circle guided by a string. They were bicycles abundant, yett none had more than 3-speeds. We didn't complain that there was nothing to watch on television, yet we had only 13 channels at most. There were no drug addicts, yet there was alcoholism.

Most households had a father, yet there were unplanned pregnancies. Our coins were 100% silver, and our currency was backed in gold. There were no credit cards, yet we managed to get what we needed by lay-a-way. And, one penny would buy a stick of gum to share with your sister. Freedom of speech didn't allow you to burn the flag, yet we got our point across. And we respected our elders, teachers, preachers, and cops, yet none of them molested us.

New roads were were built everyday, and most every family had a car, yet only one. We watched the Jetsons, yet we didn't actually think we would become one. We read a lot, yet there were no Internet blogs. We seemed to have enough to eat, yet we seldom ate out. There were Muslims, yet terrorism was unknown in America. We walked on the moon, yet no one knew why. There was Down's Syndrome, yet no one knew it until after the birth. We always had water, yet not in bottles.

I'm sure that each of you can think of many more of the good, bad, and the ugly of the past, present, and what will be in the future. Now, generally, I loved the life I had in Those Days and seem to think about it often. And, I really don't know why. I know where I am at and can see some of the things in the Coming Days, but that doesn't explain why I prefer to step back a bit.

So, where in time do you see yourself being happiest? Take the poll.
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