We were born before 1940….
..before TV, penicillin, polio shots, frozen food, Xerox, contact lenses, videos and the pill…
..before radar, credit cards, atom bombs, laser beams, ballpoint pens..
..before dishwashers, tumble driers, electric blankets, air conditioners, drip-dry fabrics… before man walked on the moon
..we got married and after, we lived together (how ‘square’ can you be?)
..to us, ‘fast food’ was what you should not eat in Lent, a ‘Big Mac’ was an oversized raincoat, ‘crumpet’ was for eating with tea. We had no ‘house-husbands’, computer dating and to us, ‘sheltered accommodation’ kept the elements off as you waited for a bus..
..we were born before ‘Day-Care Centres’, group homes .. disposable nappies. We never heard of FM radio, tape decks, artificial hearts, word processors or ‘young studs’ wearing ear-rings. .
..’time-sharing’ meant togetherness, a ‘chip’ was a fried spud, or a piece of wood, hardware was nuts and bolts and software wasn’t even a word..
..before 1940 ‘Made in Japan’ signified that the article was junk, the term ‘making out’ referred to exam results, a ‘stud’ was used to fasten collars to shirts, and ‘going all the way’ meant taking the bus right to the terminus..
..in our day, cigarette smoking was ‘fashionable’, ‘grass’ needed mown, the coal-hole was where you kept the ‘coke’, a ‘joint’ was the Sunday roast and ‘pot’ was used to cook dinner..
..’rock music’ was a fond mother’s lullaby, El Dorado was an ice-cream, a ‘gay’ person, the life-and-soul of the party, and ‘AIDS’ was how you reacted to people in need – or beauty-treatment..
..Still, we must be a handy bunch, eminently adaptable, those of us who were born before 1940.. just look at the adjustments we have had to make!
..little wonder there is a generation gap today… BUT WE HAVE SURVIVED!!
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