How do you feel about your age?

If any of you whippersnappers out there have a problem understanding any of the above lines, just ask one of your "wise elders," and we will be more than happy to enlighten you.

Annie

Thanks, Don!

Great Don. Thanks.

Aging would not be a problem for me, if my health had stayed with me.
Everyone thinks I am about a decade lass than I am.

Yes, I grew up then. It wasn't so perfect though for women or minorities. It was a time of struggle for the poor and particularly those in the south. Women were treated as sexual objects in the workplace though most men didn't see it that way. They had all the challenges of housekeeping with few of the amenities. Rape was considered a man's right if a woman flirted or dressed provocatively or was his wife. Justice was unequal. Television shows were dominated by families that didn't resemble the one I grew up in or any of my friends. Other races were rarely represented in ads or tv except maybe as entertainers. Stars in the movies were those listed, few of color or other ethnicities. That's the trouble with our nostalgia, the nostalgia of the politicians who appeal to those of us with those white-washed memories, many people were left out who have now gained representation and their right to be respected as they, too, are made in the image of the one God - and God isn't an old white man with a flowing beard. Modern technology has increased the life span but brought new dilemmas. I remember when Elvis Presley was going to corrupt a whole generation - the 50's had their moral dilemmas too. Many diseases have been eradicated world wide through vaccine and though the poor are still among us, many impoverished nations have gained economically. Communications across a global Internet have brought many new ideas into my life; affordable travel has given me rich experiences to savor. While, I, too, have my white-washed 50's memories; I fear they are driving the old white men who continue to govern and have lost touch with the needs of a modern society, an inclusive modern society where nostalgia is sweet but reality demands a world view and takes into consideration a diverse population. I don't see this new world as less wonderful, because my life was not picnic as I enjoyed those nostalgic moments. At least I understand this new world and why it's so challenging and complicated. I grumble and complain, but those born into it have no trouble with the lack of a real person on a phone and texting on a one inch by two inch keyboard. No one has to be a "shut in" with the advantages of cam corders and computers to provide sociability, though nothing matches personal contact. We can learn from across the globe if we are willing to let go of our sacred cows. It's a "wow" world now with every day revealing new challenges and opportunities. I do miss Perry Como playing on the speaker at the park in twilight as we pumped our swings into the sky, reaching for our own hopes and dreams. I remember dancing to "Red Sail in the Sunset, dark storms on the sea," after a day of skiing on the inland lakes of Michigan. There were wondrous moments.

It was the culture of the 50's that saw the beginnings of the advances we attribute to later decades: Brown vs Board of Education; Rosa Parks and the bus boycott; traditional denominations ordaining women and calling for an end to segregation; Little Rock desegregation....Seeds of change that flowered in the 60's and 70's.

It's all in where you choose to look, I suppose.

Ann

The seeds were there - because the days we remember with nostalgia were idyllic for a certain segment of the economy and not others. I don't begrudge the happy memories; I have my own. I just don't paint it as such a pretty time. Unfortunately, some people want to return to those halcyon days because the new world of diversity and the value of all people is a tough pill to swallow.