I live in Minnetonka, very near where an old drive-in once thrived. It had been torn down to make way for a strip mall, which later, was bulldozed for a Target. I admit, I shed no tears because I was super excited to have a Target so close by. Heck, they even gave all the neighbors a measuring cup with a coupon for a bag of sugar…classy!
But anytime a Walmart is built makes me sad because I really hate Walmarts. I think they are depressing, disorganized and the combination of items they sell makes no sense – a swinging chaise for your porch next to an imitation leather recliner next to tampons……yikes.
But it got me wondering, are we better off today than in the “good ole days?”
Let me start with the drive-in. You know what? They really were not a great place to watch a movie. Sure, they were fun because you could sneak in and bring your own beer and all, but for watching a movie, they kind of stunk. It was always hot and humid and unless you ran the AC in the car the whole time, it was like hanging in a tropical rain forest. The mosquitoes were torture and there was no avoiding them for they had free access with the compulsory, open windows. You could close the windows, of course, if you were a very good lip reader.....Then there was the issue of the increasingly intoxicated people walking back and forth in front of your car. The snacks and bathrooms were a million miles away and no one ever stopped talking in the car while you were trying to figure out what was being said. The sound coming from the window speakers was like ordering at a Taco Bell where you understood only a few words out of each sentence. It was fun, yep, but it was not a great place to actually watch a movie. In my day, I think I went to a drive-in maybe once a summer. My son and daughter don’t even know what they are and I haven’t returned to one since high school. I imagine the current owner of the soon to be Walmart was having a hard time making it work. Don’t blame him really, I just wish he had sold to Target….
So what else do we miss about the “good ole days?”
My mom and I were talking about the roast chickens you can buy at just about anywhere (even gas stations). I buy them mostly to cut off the meat for my dog. I do sample as I cut and it is tasty! Dang, how do they do that? My mother claims she never roasts a chicken anymore because she can buy one at the store, which is cheaper, less hassle and it tastes better than what she can do. I often used those roasted chickens as my go-to dinner when the kids were little and time was short. How did my mother ever get by without roasted chickens? Or mashed potatoes already mashed? Or frozen garlic? Or prepared pesto? Wow, she must have spent her entire day in the kitchen because I take full advantage of all the cheats I can find at the grocery store. I love Costco for that reason. It is filled with delicious meals I just need to heat up, praise the lord and Costco!
My children still played the night games that I did when I was a child running amuck in St. Paul. Nothing too different there. They gathered at one house, planned the game and the teams, and then ended the night with a bonfire. Hey, we never had bonfires…..
They did miss out though, on pedaling to the store with a quarter and returning home with a bag full of penny candy. My kids grew up with no penny candy store and pedaling there would have been out of the question where we lived…the suburbs….(a place I had only heard about, but never ventured to as a child). Thinking about it now, I would say that’s a good thing because as an evolved parent, I now know how harmful sugar is. Unless it was a holiday or birthday, I would never have allowed the kids to pig out on a bag of sugar, goodness! Although the memory is sweet (pun intended), it probably is better that they made S’mores at the bonfire….. (remember, chocolate can extend your life).
So many things are different today than in the “good ole days.” We remember those days as golden but upon careful inspection, they come up a little short … how would we ever manage our lives without cell phones (pay phones were not fun and you risked your health talking on them), computers, the Internet, iTunes, IPods, iPhones, iPads, DVR’s, Netflix, reality TV (no judging), Sushi, microbrew beer, debit cards, broad band spectrum sunscreen, seatbelt with shoulder harnesses, online bill pay, spell check, email, video chatting…FACEBOOK!
I think the reason we liked those days really had more to do with the fact of how old we were then, rather than how good those days actually were.
I admit, I think I am better off today. However, I do think fondly on the days where I ran wild in the summer, got brown as a Hershey bar, never wore shoes and my parents had absolutely no idea where I was until I came home to the dinner bell each night. I survived.
