Nostalgia

by Jo Robertson

I've decided that new and improved isn’t always better. Even though many improvements can make life easier and alleviate our work load, sometimes I just miss the "old way."

Here are some of the things I miss on occasion.

I miss hanging clothes out on the line, the whole ritual of shaking out the damp article, smelling the sweet cleanliness and, wooden clothespin in my hand or mouth, stretching the clothes tight on a rope.

I miss not having to decide among a gazillion shows to watch on Sunday night. Knowing that Ed Sullivan was THE thing to see and millions of people across the country were watching it at the same time as me. No Tivo decision-making!

I miss backyards without fences where you could wave to your neighbor every morning. Robert Frost says “Fences make good neighbors," but I don't think that's true.

I miss the neighborhood store (ours was the Cavalier Store in Hopewell, Virginia) where you could stop for a sweet treat or a grocery item, and everyone knew your name (Come to think of it, I miss Cheers too!). And you didn’t have to worry about some pervert snatching you up four or five blocks from your home.

I miss hand cranking the ice cream freezer on a hot summer night where every kid got a turn at making the ice cream.

I miss letter writing. Or maybe getting letters is what I really miss.

I miss eight or nine people piling in a car and going to the drive-in movie where the cost was per car instead of per person. And you brought your own chairs to sit out on the gravel and your own treats in a Styrofoam cooler.

I miss drug store counters where you could get a coke float for fifteen cents and sit on a high bar stool watching the lady make it.

What about you? Anything you miss that's gone by the wayside? Or anything you're grateful you no longer have to do?