I ran across this piece for the first time and years and it made me feel good. Although a few of these things were before my time, this reminded me of my old neighborhood and the fun that I used to have as a child before the world became damn heavy…Read this and then reflect on your own “back in the day” memories:

Take a stroll with me…close your mind’s eye…and go back

…before the Internet
…before semiautomatics and crack
…before SEGA or Super Nintendo
…or drive through fast food
…way back…
I’m talkin’ bout hide and seek at dusk
Sittin’ on the porch,
Simon Says,
Kick the Can,
Red light…Green light.
Lunch boxes with a thermos
…chocolate milk, going home for lunch
penny candy from the store.
Hopscotch,
butterscotch,
skates with keys,
Jacks,
Mother May I ?
Hula Hoops and sunflower seeds,
whistling,
and Old Maid and Crazy Eights,
wax lips and mustaches, Mary Janes,
saddleshoes
and Coke bottles with the names of cities on the bottom,
running through the sprinkler,
circle pins,
bobby pins,
Mickey Mouse Club,
Rocky & Bullwinkle,
Kukla, Fran & Ollie,
Spin & Marty
all in black & white.
When around the corner seemed far away,
and going downtown seemed like going somewhere.
Bedtime,
climbing trees,
making forts
backyard shows,
lemonade stands,
Cops and Robbers,
Cowboys and Indians,
sittin’ on the curb,
staring at clouds,
jumping down the steps,
jumping on the bed,
Pillow fights,
getting “company,”
ribbon candy,
angel hair on the Christmas tree,
Jackie Gleason,
Red Skelton,
The Hit Parade,
white gloves,
walking to church,
walking to the movie theater,
being tickled to death,
running till you were out of breath,
laughing so hard that your sides or stomach hurt,
being tired from playin’
Remember that?
Not steppin’ on a crack or you’ll break your
mother’s back
paper chains at Christmas,
silhouettes of Lincoln and Washington
the smell of paste in school
and Evening in Paris.
What about the girl that had the big bubbly handwriting, who dotted her “i’s” with hearts??
The Stroll,
popcorn balls,
and sock hops…
Remember when…when there were two types of sneakers for girls and boys (Keds & PF Flyer)
and the only time you wore them at school
was for “gym.” And the girls had those ugly uniforms.
When it took five minutes for the TV to warm up.
When nearly everyone’s Mom was at home when the kids got home from school.
When nobody owned a purebred dog.
When a quarter was a decent allowance,
another quarter, a huge bonus.
When you’d reach into a muddy gutter for a penny.
When,girls neither dated nor kissed until late high school,………. if even 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 and wore high heels.
When you got your windshield cleaned, oil checked, and gas pumped, without asking, all 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 the worst thing you could do at school was smoke in the bathrooms, flunk a test or chew gum…
the sound of a real mower on Saturday morning, and summers filled with bike rides, playing in cowboy land, baseball games, bowling and visits to the pool…and eating Kool-aid powder with sugar.
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.
Our parents and grandparents were a much bigger threat!
But we all survived because their love was greater than the threat.
Didn’t that feel good, just to go back and say,
Yeah, I remember that!

(Author unknown)