Let's go way back....

Before the internet or PC or the Mac.
Before semi-automatics and crack.
Before Playstation, SEGA, Super Nintendo, even before Atari.
Before cell phones, CD’s, DVD’s, voicemail and e-mail.

Let’s go...way...way...way back...

I’m talkin’ bout Hide and Seek at dusk.
Red Light, Green Light.
Red Rover Red Rover...
Playing kickball, dodgeball until the first...no...second...no...third streetlight came on (we didn’t have streetlights)
Ring around the Rosie.
London bridge.
Hot Potato.
Hop cotch.
Jump rope.
Duck...Duck...GOOSE!!
You’re IT!
Mother May I?
Hula Hoops.
Seeing shapes in the clouds (still do that today)
Endless summer days and hot summer nights (no A/C) with the windows open.
Running through sprinklers.
Happy Meals.
Cereal boxes with that GREAT prize in the bottom.
Cracker Jacks with the same thing.
Ice pops with 2 sticks you could break and share with a friend (or sibling)
Parents stood on the front porch and yelled (or whistled...) for you to come home (my friends always let me know when my mom hollered for me)...no pagers or cell phones.

...but wait...there’s more...

Watching Saturday Morning Cartoons,
Bugs Bunny, Fat Albert, Road Runner, Smurfs, G-Force & He-Man, schoolhouse Rock (I still watch cartoons)
Wonder Woman & Superman Underoos,
FONZIE....AYYYY...(let’s not forget Laverne & Shirley)
Playing Dukes of Hazard.
Catching lightning bugs in a jar.
Christmas Morning.
First day of School.
Bedtime prayers and Good night Kisses.
Climbing trees.
Swinging high as you could to try and reach the sky.
Getting an Ice Cream off the Good Humor Truck.
A million mosquito bites and sticky fingers.
Jumpin’ down the steps.
Jumpin’ on the bed.
Pillow fights.
Sleep-overs.
A 13” black/white TV in your room meant you were RICH.
Runnin’ til you were out of breath.
Laughing so hard that your stomach hurt.
Being tired from PLAYING.
Work: meant taking trash out or doing dishes.
Your first crush.
Your first kiss (I mean the one that you kept your mouth closed and eyes open).
Rainy days at school meant playing “Heads Up 7UP” or “hangman” in the classroom, remember that?

Oh I’m not finished yet...

Kool-Aid was the drink of the summer.
So was a swig from the water hose (sometime do that still)
Giving your friends a ride on your handlebars.
Wearing your new shoes on the first day of school.
Class Field Trips with soggy sandwiches.
When nearly everyone’s mom was at home when the kids got there.
When a quarter seem like a fair allowance-and another quarter a MIRACLE.
When ANY parent could discipline ANY kid, or feed him or use him to carry crogeries...and NOBODY not even the kid, thought a thing of it.
When your parents took you to McDonalds and you were COOL.
When being sent to the principal’s office was nothing compared to what awaited you at home.
Basically, we were in fear for our lives but it wasn’t because of drive-by shootings, drugs or gangs...
Our parents sand grandparents were a much bigger threat!
And some of us are still afraid of ‘em! (yep)

Didn’t that feel good?
Just to go back and say, “Yeah I remember that!”

Well, let’s keep going!

Let’s go back to the time when...
Decisions were made by going “eeny-meeny-miney-MO!”
Mistakes were corrected by simply exclaiming “do over!”
“Race Issues” meant arguing about who ran the fastest.
Money issues were handled by whoever was the “Monopoly” banker.
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 worst thing you could catch from the opposite sex was cooties.
Nobody was prettier than Mom. (still isn’t)
Scrapes and bruises were kissed by mom or grandma and made feel 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”
Spinning around, getting dizzy and falling down was cause for giggles.
The worst embarrassment was being picked last for a team.
Water balloons were the ultimate, ultimate weapon.
If you can remember most or all of these, then you have LIVED!!!