A Trip Down Memory Lane
 Subject:  close your eyes and,,,,
 
 go back...way back........
 I'm talkin' bout hide and go seek at dusk.
 Sittin' on the porch,
 Hot bread and butter.
 Eatin' a super dooper sandwich, (Dagwood),
 Red light, Green light.
 Chocolate milk, Lunch tickets,
 Penny candy in a brown paper bag.
 
 Hopscotch, butterscotch, doubledutch
 Jacks, kickball, dodgeball, y'all!
 Mother, May I?
 Hula Hoops and Sunflower Seeds,
 Jaw breakers, blowpops, Mary Janes,
 
 Running through the sprinkler (I can't get wet! All right, well
 don't wet my hair....)

 The smell of the sun and lickin' salty lips....
 
 Wait......
 Catchin' lightening bugs in a jar,
 Playin' sling shot and Red Rover.
 When around the corner seemed far away,
 And going downtown seemed like going somewhere.
 
 Bedtime, Climbing trees.
 
 A million mosquito bites and sticky fingers.
 
 Cops and Robbers,
 Cowboys and Indians,
 Sittin' on the curb,
 Jumpin' down the steps,
 Jumpin' on the bed.
 Pillow fights
 Being tickled to death
 
 Runnin' till you were out of breath
  Laughing so hard that your stomach hurt.
  Being tired from playin'.... Remember that?
  I ain't finished just yet...
 What about the girl that had the big bubbly hand writing?
 Licking the beaters when your mother made a cake.
 
 When there were two types of sneakers for girls and boys (Keds & PF
 Flyers),  and the only time you wore them at school, was for "gym."
 
 When nearly everyone's mom was at home when the kids got there.
 When nobody owned a purebred dog.
 When a quarter was a decent allowance, and another quarter a huge bonus.

 

When gay was happy and coming out of the closet was the end of a hide-and-seek game
 
 When you'd reach into a muddy gutter for a penny.
 When girls neither dated nor kissed until late high school, if then.
 
 When your mom wore nylons that came in two pieces.
 When all of your male teachers wore neckties and female teachers had
 their hair done, everyday.

 When you got your windshield cleaned, oil checked, and gas pumped,
 without asking, for free, every time.  And, you didn't pay for air.
 And, you got trading stamps to boot!
 
 When laundry detergent had free glasses, dishes or towels hidden
 inside the  box.
 
 When any parent could discipline any kid, or feed him or use him to
 carry groceries, and nobody, not even the kid, thought a thing of it.

 When it was considered a great privilege to be taken out to dinner at
 a real restaurant with your parents.
 
 When they threatened to keep kids back a grade if they failed.....and did!
 When being sent to the principal's office was nothing compared to
 the fate that awaited a misbehaving student at home.

 Basically, we were in fear for our lives but it wasn't because of
 drive by shootings, drugs, gangs, etc.  Disapproval of our parents and
 grandparents was a much bigger threat!

 Decisions were made by going "eeny-meeny-miney-mo."
 
 Mistakes were corrected by simply exclaiming, "do over!"
 
 "Race issue" meant arguing about who ran the fastest!

  Money issues were handled by whoever was the banker in "Monopoly."
 Catching  fireflies could happily occupy an entire evening.
 It wasn't odd to have two or three "best" friends.
 Being old referred to anyone over 20.
 
 The net on a tennis court was the perfect height to play volleyball
 and rules didn't matter.

 The worst thing you could catch from the opposite sex was cooties.
 
 It was magic when dad would "remove" his thumb.
 
 It was unbelievable that dodgeball wasn't an Olympic event.
 Having a weapon in school meant being caught with a slingshot.
 Nobody was prettier than Mom.
 
 Scrapes and bruises were kissed and made better.
 It was a big deal to finally be tall enough to ride the "big people"
 rides at the amusement  park.
 
 Getting a foot of snow was a dream come true.
 
 Abilities were discovered because of a "double-dog-dare."
 
 Saturday morning cartoons weren't 30-minute ads for action figures.
 No shopping trip was complete, unless a new toy was brought home.
 
 "Oly-oly-oxen-free" made perfect sense.
 
 Spinning around, getting dizzy and falling down was cause for giggles.
 The worst embarrassment was being picked last for a team.

 War was a card game.
 
 Water balloons were the ultimate weapon.
 Baseball cards in the spokes transformed any bike into a motorcycle.
 Taking drugs meant orange-flavored chewable aspirin.
 
 Ice cream was considered a basic food group.
 Older siblings were the worst tormentors, but also the fiercest
 protectors.

 

And "back then" there wasn't "identity churches"!  The Judeo Christian ministers changed that.

When the hu-mans who caused all the election trouble in Flordia couldn't vote because they weren't considered human.
 
 If you can remember most or all of these, then you have LIVED!!!!
 Pass this on to anyone who may need a break from their "grown up"
 life!!!!!