Somewhere along the line we have this image of how good things were in the olden days. If you examine the picture I’ve attached to this post, you’ll notice the woman smiling as she laboriously works through the task of laundry day. Today, we simply throw our clothes into a machine, add some detergent and let the machine do the work. We have become accustomed to the aid of machines taking the place of physical labor. Those olden days are usually just made up memories designed to give us a feeling of nostalgia.
Living is hard. There are going to be obstacles no matter how convenient things may seem today. Can you imagine doing your laundry in this archaic manner? What if you were wearing a tie and it got stuck in that wringer thingy. Or maybe one of those strings on her bonnet took a turn for the worse. As time progresses, we often look back and wish for those good old days but forget about how easy life is today from a physical standpoint. We don’t have to make our own soap. We don’t have to use a scrub board to get those deep grass stains out of blue jeans that have become impossible to clean. We don’t have to squeeze the liquid out of the fabric, rinse again and again and hang those same clothes on a rope with some wooden pins.
Almost all the things from the past are ancient history. We glorify those days and deem them as perfect, but time hasn’t changed the real challenges we face each day. We may have a lot more time on our hands, but we still worry if we’re going to be able to pay the bills. We still fuss over the state of our government, but often fail to vote or take an active part in the problem. We see the ugly side of life as someone else’s problem and hope that someone else addresses it. We hand our kids an Ipad when they’re small children and expect them to be entertained while we cope with daily issues or worse yet, stay glued to our phones all day.
Every generation has problems. Every generation thinks they have the answers for those problems. Every generation thinks their generation knows everything. The real truth is that every generation is like every other generation. Time may change our lives drastically as progress occurs, but the basics of living often get lost in the shuffle. The beginning of understanding comes from experience. Some of the greatest lessons in life come from our history. Sharing those times with new generations might be the start of creating a common thread between us. Instead of complaining about the new generation, let’s start looking at the gifts they bring to the table.
POETRY BY KATHY BOECHER©
A quiet town, a peaceful place, much different than today,
A place that stood the test of time was built to last that way,
As we look back and reconstruct what families had to do,
The work they did to just get by, is far beyond our view,
How can we simply raise our hands in protest and despair,
And waste an opportunity while not giving a care,
To easier solutions, for problems solved and fixed,
Expecting others’ changes, while we put in our licks,
To get the issues finished, to get us back on track,
We have to start to talk again and not behind the back,
A face to face discussion, debate and discourse too,
Can solve so many problems, and bring a new breakthrough,
The right to speak is precious, but we must pull the reins,
With calm deliberation, we can release the chains.
atimetoshare.me 
You must be logged in to post a comment.