We Survived

             No matter what the younger generation may think of us as seniors, those of us who were born between 1925 and 1955 are amazing.  We might not be as technological savvy as today's young guys and gals, but we survived and enjoyed the 30's, 40's and 50's!                
          First, we took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn't get tested for diabetes. Then, after that trauma, we were  put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered with bright colored lead-based paints.  
         We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, locks on doors or cabinets, And, when we rode our bikes, we had baseball caps, not helmets, on our heads. 
          As infants and children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, no booster seats, no seat belts, no air bags, bald tires and sometimes no brakes. Riding in the back of a pick- up truck on a warm day was always a special treat 
          We drank water from the garden hose and not from a bottle. We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle, and no one actually died from this. 
          We ate cupcakes, white bread, real butter, and bacon. We drank Kool-Aid made with real white sugar. And we weren't overweight. WHY?  Because we were always outside playing ... that's why! 
          We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on. No one was able to reach us all day .. And, we were OKAY. 
         We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride them down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem. 
          We did not have Play Stations, Nintendo and X-boxes. There were no video games, no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVDs, no surround-sound or CDs, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet and no chat rooms.  WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!  
         We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth, and there were no lawsuits from those accidents.   We would get spankings with wooden spoons, switches, ping-pong paddles, or just a bare hand. And no one would call child services to report abuse. 
         We ate worms, and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever.    

          We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, 22 rifles for our 12th, rode horses, made up games with sticks and tennis balls, and although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes. 
         We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them. 
         Little League had tryouts  and not everyone made the team  Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that! 
         The idea of a parent bailing us out If we broke the law was unheard of ... . They actually sided with the law! 
         These generations have produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers, and Inventors ever.  The past 60 to 85 years have seen an explosion of innovation and new ideas.  We had freedom,failure, success and responsibility, and we learned how to deal with it all. 
         We have ben fortunate to grow up as kids before the lawyers and the government regulated so much of our lives for our own good. 
         Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn't it ?  

(1) There's the wonder at sunset at evening

The wondrous sunrise I see
But the wonder of wonders that thrills my soul
Is the wonder that God loves me
The wonder of it all
The wonder of it all
Just to think that God loves me
Oh the wonder of it all
The wonder of it all
Just to think that God loves me

(2) There's the wonder of spring time and harvest
The sky, the stars, the sun
But the wonder of wonders that thrills my soul
Is the wonder that's only begun
The wonder of it all
The wonder of it all
Just to think that God loves me
Oh the wonder of it all

The wonder of it all
Just to think that God loves me