I heard all about my parents walking to school through the snow. At least they didn't claim it was twenty miles uphill each way. Personally, I rode the noisy school bus for an hour, each way, everyday, so, I had it better. Now the kids have their own car or at least Mom or Dad running shuttle service. With each generation life gets easier. At least that is the way it is designed to be. Not to say that each generation does not have new issues, just different. Sometimes we forget how easy we have it now.
Maybe you really have it rough and have to ride your 21 speed mountain bike to school. Try doing those Colorado mountain hilly roads on total pedal power; you go only go as fast as you can pedal and no gears at all. We laugh about feeling so sorry for those who only have a 10 or 15 speed bike instead of a 21 speed. The seats are far more comfortable now too. Bike shorts? Forty years ago those cushy shorts were not even a glimmer in the merchandising eye. Sometimes we forget how easy we have it now.
The iPod you can't leave home without which is glued to your body like another appendage was not available ten or 15 years ago. Carrying the family radio on your bike or shoulder would not work well. Remember when we carried huge "boom boxes?" Now you carry your entire music library in your pocket. We forget how easy we have it now.
Cell phones? Some of us grew up with crank phones. Yeah, I was a long short and a long through early grade school. Moving up to a rotary dial phone was an upgrade. Cordless phones, not a chance. We had to sit right there by the phone to talk. We fuss about privacy now. That old crank, rotary or even the early push button phones were party lines; zero privacy for the calls. We forget how easy we have it now.
"Reach out and touch someone" actually meant making an effort. Using the voice recognition dialing on your cell phone does not take much effort. Automatic programming of the phone number in the phone? Give me a break. We had to actually remember the number or carry a little paper book with the numbers.
Maybe you really have it rough and have to ride your 21 speed mountain bike to school. Try doing those Colorado mountain hilly roads on total pedal power; you go only go as fast as you can pedal and no gears at all. We laugh about feeling so sorry for those who only have a 10 or 15 speed bike instead of a 21 speed. The seats are far more comfortable now too. Bike shorts? Forty years ago those cushy shorts were not even a glimmer in the merchandising eye. Sometimes we forget how easy we have it now.
The iPod you can't leave home without which is glued to your body like another appendage was not available ten or 15 years ago. Carrying the family radio on your bike or shoulder would not work well. Remember when we carried huge "boom boxes?" Now you carry your entire music library in your pocket. We forget how easy we have it now.
Cell phones? Some of us grew up with crank phones. Yeah, I was a long short and a long through early grade school. Moving up to a rotary dial phone was an upgrade. Cordless phones, not a chance. We had to sit right there by the phone to talk. We fuss about privacy now. That old crank, rotary or even the early push button phones were party lines; zero privacy for the calls. We forget how easy we have it now.
"Reach out and touch someone" actually meant making an effort. Using the voice recognition dialing on your cell phone does not take much effort. Automatic programming of the phone number in the phone? Give me a break. We had to actually remember the number or carry a little paper book with the numbers.