Born before 1945?

Let's hear if for all us "senior citizens"! We are survivors! Consider some of the changes we've witnessed....

We were born before television, before penicillin, before polio shots, frozen foods, Xerox copiers, plastics, Frisbees, contact lenses, and the pill. We were before radar, credit cards, split atoms, lasers, and ballpoint pens; before pantyhose, dishwashers, clothes dryers, electric blankets, air conditioners, drip-dry clothes, and before men walked on the moon.

We got married *first*, and THEN we lived together. (Isn't that a quaint notion?)

In our time, closets were for clothes, not for "coming out of." "Bunnies" were just small rabbits, and "Rabbits" were not Volkswagens. "Designer Jeans" were scheming girls, and "having a meaningful relationship" meant getting along with our cousins.

We thought "fast food" was what you ate during Lent, and "outer space" was the balcony of the Riviera Theater.

We were before house-husbands, gay rights, computer dating, dual careers, and commuter marriages; before day-care centers, group therapy, and nursing homes. We never heard of FM radio, tape decks, CD players, iPods, CD-ROMs, artificial hearts, word processors, yogurt, and guys wearing earrings. For us, "time sharing" meant togetherness, not computers or condominiums. A "chip" meant a piece of wood; "hardware" meant nuts & bolts, and "software" wasn't even a WORD yet!

When we were young, "Made in Japan" meant junk, and the term "making out" referred to how you did on your exam. We never heard of pizzas, McDonalds, or instant coffee.

We hit the scene when there were "5-and-10-cent stores" where you could actually BUY something for 5- or 10-cents. Ice cream cones were a nickel for one scoop, or a dime for two big scoops. For one nickel you could ride a street car or a bus, make a phone call, buy a large Pepsi, or buy enough stamps to mail one letter and two postcards. We could buy a brand-new Chevy Coupe for $600... but who could afford one? (A pity too, because gas was only 15-cents a gallon!)

In our day, cigarette smoking was fashionable, "grass" was something we mowed, "coke" was a cold drink, and "pot" was something you cooked in. "Rock music" was a lullaby that Grandma listened to, and "aids" were helpers in the Principal's office.

We certainly did not come before the difference between the sexes was discovered, but we were surely before the sex change; hey, we made do with what we were given. And we were the last generation that was so dumb as to think that you actually needed a husband to have a baby!

So, the next time you find yourself pondering how today's "generation gap" could possibly have come to exist, just re-read the above, and you'll begin to understand. But hey, we've survived, haven't we? And we are STILL a valuable resource to be treasured. Don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise!