SURFING the NET in SEARCH of the GOOD OLD DAYS

                                SURFING the NET in SEARCH of the GOOD OLD DAYS

As my 2016 birthday approaches I find myself nostalgic for the good old days. Without divulging my specific age, which no woman should or so the cliché claims: When I celebrated my 80^th my daughter-in-law asked what my thoughts were. I paused and tried to look beyond the most obvious one, “when can we cut the cake?” and came up with, “Since according to the doctor who delivered me I was born dead. The year was during the Great Depression of the 1930s. So all things considered, celebrating this birthday is almost miraculous for me.”

As if surviving after being pronounced dead, being one of seven children when employment, money and food were practically non-existent, even Baby boomers may know what followed. Yep, World War II! With three brothers, we contributed one to the Navy, one to the Army Air Force and the youngest to the Marines. That made WWII and The Occupation very personal. After that there was Korea, Viet Nam, ad infinitum. Hopefully by now you’re asking yourself why, with that history, would I be searching for the old days and how do I have the nerve to call them good. Have you looked at the news of the world today on the internet?

Throwing most of the election 2016 news out, here is what’s going on in a capsule: Indianapolis Star reports USA Gymnastics hid sexual abuse accusations to protect reputation of coaches; De Pillis on Yahoo says “Baby boomers Are Taking on Ageism…” (Oh, I remember Boomers they’re the ones who coined the phrase “Don’t trust anyone over 40”just in time for my 41^st birthday. Good luck with that, guys and gals!); Women with Tonsils and Appendixes removed are still fertile; Clint Eastwood, the only person in the world who looks older than I but isn’t, says, “It’s a sad time in history” and Pokemon Go is the newest game craze. I admit I chose the last item from the technology articles because it is the only one I can remotely relate to, remembering my now 22 Year Old grandson’s Pokemon card collection.

Perhaps the Good Old Days I seek is better explained by a friend's wall plaque: The best thing about the Good Old Days is simply that I was neither old nor good.