WHAT’S IN YOUR MEMORY?

As a child in the 60’s and 70’s I remember, first of all, how carefree I was. My friends and I would ride our bikes the 4 miles to the pool with our minds free of “Stranger Danger” or anything other than a strong hope that the water wouldn’t be too cold and that we could get across St. Charles Road without waiting too long for traffic to clear. That pool, as many back in the day, was warmed by the sunlight and if they had changed out the water the night before it would be colder than nearby Lake Michigan.

WHAT DID OCCUPY OUR MINDS BACK THEN?

Telephone numbers- I knew my home phone, friends phone numbers, and close aunts and uncles numbers. I probably had 100 or more on my “quick dial” list which was readily accessible in my mind. The list was more accessible than a phone because, remember, we didn’t carry our phones with us and when we made a call it was usually from a phone hanging on the kitchen wall or a pay phone that required a hard earned dime from our paper route money and could be found on some corners and most gas stations. If you had the “Cool set up” home phone you had a longer chord that would allow you to walk out of the room to speak in private. My family didn’t. Some other “Cool” accessories were push buttons or optional colors- ours was avocado green with a dial and a short chord- just in case you wanted to know.

My brother Pete and his daughter Lisa mentioned GPS. Remember our younger boomer minds held all of the important directions and addresses because there was no GPS to rely on.  When they were 14, 12 and 10 my 3 brothers took a twenty mile bike ride to Chicago. They followed the route my dad had taken so many times. My parents didn’t know about their plans until they called from my aunt’s house in Chicago, probably at her urging.

Cursive writing, it was taught at all schools in my day. Now, thanks to common core, it has been eliminated from many curriculums. I’ve heard some boomers saying that if it is necessary to revolt against the younger generations cursive writing could be our secret code; intercepted messages would be considered doodlings.

My brother Paul reminded me that we used to need to remember when our cars were due for an oil change and now our cars remember for us and tell us when we are close to that date or mileage.

My brother Pat reminded me that the smarter of us were required to remember “Pi R squared,” he said he still uses it. I don’t, but like he said, the smarter of us. Phones, of course, now contain computers capable of answering any math questions we feed them.

My sister Pam mentioned date planners. We were once required to remember upcoming parties, birthdays, anniversaries etc. We had date planners to help us with times and locations, but we’d have to remember to check the planners, which were usually stashed in the kitchen junk drawer. Now that same phone that helps us do math problems and directs us to the newest hot spot reminds us of recurring appointments- and one time appointments for that matter.

Many from the younger generations have never had the occasion to read a road map- I have been reading maps since the first family vacation when my dad said, “If you want to sit in the front seat you have to read the map and tell me where to turn, you’ll be my navigator.” I do have that knowledge in my head- but I don’t know where to buy a map, do you? Also, do you remember how hard it was to re-fold those things?

USELESS INFORMATION

My mind is still filled with an immense amount of information that is of no interest to anyone but me. I know this for a fact, I’ve been told.

Not long ago a grandchild told the family he was studying King Henry the 8th of England in World History. I interjected, “Did you know there was a song about him released in 1965?” (Herman’s Hermits- It was actually about a woman who married 8 guys named Henry) The lack of response told me that they were not anxious to hear the song. When I started singing I was actually booed in my own kitchen! After I finished the song I asked how they could be so insensitive when their dear old grandpa was only trying to help. From the fairly large group of family members gathered I heard,

You have a song for everything.

That song had nothing to do with my history lesson.

Were all of your songs that stupid?

That’s five minutes of my life I’ll never get back.

Of all the indignities! If they weren’t all right I would have been very hurt.

I do remember many interesting things like the phone number for the first real job I had- Brownie 9- 7717, my childhood home phone- Terrace 4-8366. The boomers are looking at those phone numbers and saying- Ah yes, the old exchanges. The non boomers are probably thinking, “What?”

Maybe telephone exchanges could be a story for later?

What’s in your memory?

Please share, it can’t be as bad as my list. Can it?