I recently read that you need to spend some time each day giving your mind a break. This article said you usually rack your brain all day doing busy things and you need to just relax and let your mind wonder. It suggested doing things like “Imagining Things”, “Wondering About Things”, “Remembering Things” and “Figuring Out Things”. (I believe their terms were a little more scientific but this is close). I have been really trying to put this theory into practice lately and I have to admit, it really does help.
The other day I spent an hour sitting and imagining what it would be like to actually spend an hour just sitting and imagining something.
Last week a saw around 100 blackbirds sitting on three telephone lines in front of the house. One third were on the top line, one third were on the line below them. The rest were on the lower line. I couldn’t help but wonder how long it takes for the ones on the second line to figure out that it isn’t exactly life itself that is pooping on them and the ones on the lower line, well they are likely beyond hope.
The one thing I spent a good bit of time on was remembering. Some of these really show my age but so do I so here we go:
I remember when gas was $.23 a gallon. We used to autocross sports cars back then and on race day we would buy Sunoco 260 which cost $.35 a gallon and we just couldn’t believe we were paying that much.
I remember when TV shows required married couples to sleep in separate beds if they ever were shown in the bedroom at all.
I remember when air conditioning was something you experienced only when you went to the movies.
I remember when my parents would leave their car keys in the ignition so they wouldn’t lose them and the car doors unlocked at night.
I remember when we slept with the windows open and the only thing that kept people out of the house at night was an unlocked screen door.
I remember my parents letting me out of the house in the morning as a kid and I would show up around dark usually covered in mud from chasing crawdads in the creek down the street.
I remember when you could change the turn signal bulb in your car for 25 cents and change your own spark plugs for 50 cents apiece.
I remember when teachers were respected about as much as your parents and you didn’t dare to talk back to one. There were many a time I got lifted off the ground by one of their paddles and a nasty up swing and the only person my parents got upset with was me for what I had done.
I remember when lawyers dealt with criminals
I remember when people worked for a living. If you didn’t work, you didn’t eat.
I remember when we used to say the Pledge of Allegiance every morning in school followed by a prayer.
I remember when bad guys wore black hats, bad kids got spanked, bad girls were the ones you didn’t want to date, bad words resulted in a soap taste, a bad trip was a long car ride on a hot day, and bad actually meant bad.
I remember when the clerks at the fast food restaurants would say “Thank You” when they gave you your order.
I remember when sunshine was healthy, blood was pure, water came from taps or a well, milkmen brought milk in glass containers, and mailmen walked.
I remember when grass was what you cut, coke was what you drank, speed was what you did in a car, and a crack was what you didn’t want to step on for fear of doing your mother bodily harm.
I remember when only sailors had tattoos, only old people died their hair, only young girls wore young girl clothes, only young men married young women, only young women married young men, only police men had guns, only cats ate raw fish, and only old farts drank martinis.
I remember when radios has antennas, cars had maps, TVs had knobs, elevators had operators, telephones had party lines, yards had tire swings, cars had real bumpers and girls had real breasts.
I also remember when God was an institutional part of our country and our lives, men married women, women married men, divorce was an exception to the rule, mothers and fathers raised their kids, kids read books, schools were safe zones, people helped other people, honesty was the best policy, cheaters never prospered, the rights of many outweighed the rights of the few, and religious beliefs was never a legitimate excuse to kill anyone.
From that I think I’ve figured things out – I want to go back….
Really like this one! Love you!