Quote:
Originally Posted by NY65912
Born in '55. Life was so much simpler, but definitely not easier. We had much less in terms of possessions but a better quality of life. Families and friends seemed closer.
The sixties was a time of my coming of age for sure. I learned a hell of a lot in that schoolyard in Brooklyn. We as kids had more freedom. Out early, come back for a bite, back out again until supper. My Dad would lean out the front window and give a distinctive whistle, I knew it was time to eat. Back out after supper until I got another whistle.
We ran all over the place without anyone knowing where we were off to. We played softball, basketball and went fishing every day. Much more innocent times. You knew where you could go and where you should not. Got my draft card in 1973, number 52 in the last draft. Many of my friends brothers went off to Viet Nam. Most came back, but were not the same, some did not. We went to church looking like ladies and gentlemen. Hats and gloves, suits and dresses.
My wife and I were just talking about what we have seen in our lives.
Cold War
Getting the Polio vaccine on a pink sugar cube
Duck and cover under our school desks
Jet travel
The milk man rattling bottles and 4 AM.
Ebinger's Bakery
Mail being delivered twice a day!
Coney Island
Kennedy assassination
Civil unrest '64
Passing of civil rights act
VietNam war
MLB assassination
RFK assassination
GOING TO THE MOON!!!!!
Hippies
Nixon, Watergate, leaving office
Drug culture
'69 Mets, Knicks and Jets
Long hair
Rock music
My double play as a third baseman for my PSAL team in '68 that won the big game.
Computers
Cell Phones
Space shuttle disasters
Breakdown of family
More civil unrest
Lack of respect for women, police, religion, teachers.
I'd take back the 60's because of the way I saw it as a kid, maybe not reality but my perception of reality. I know there was plenty of trouble and dark things that I did not see or encounter but I had a blast as a kid. I know I am leaving a ton of stuff/events out.
Ehh, now a fat old guy that feels the world he knew is long gone and ain't coming back, it's lost.
And so I move with the times as we all must. Perhaps I can instill some of my youth through stories and actions into my three grandsons.
Cheers
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I always said I grew up in the Leave it to Beaver age. I walked to school for the first grade! In my mind I remember it as a couple of miles. In fact, according to Google Earth, it was 4 city blocks, and my 3rd grade brother walked with me to the same school. It was not uphill both ways in the snow, but in shorts, no shoes no shirt all year long, in Pearl City, HI.
By 3rd grade in San Marcos, TX I rode my bike to school, (about 2 miles in memory) and just left it unlocked always and it was always there where I left it.
I never carried a house key until I moved away from home and rented a crappy apartment, we never locked the doors.
I remember getting the yearbook update to our Encyclopedia Britannica and went to the "new words" section. The word Hippy was in there (with a useless definition to me) as one who is hip. That did not tell me anything. Also Astronaut was a new word. We went to visit friends in San Fransisco in 1969. They took us down to Haight-Ashbury and we walked around and went in some poster shops and looked at the weird people. That is when I figured out what a hippy was, long haired and unwashed and stinky.
We played outside until 6:29 and we knew to be home by 6:30 for dinner or dad was mad. As soon as we were excused from dinner we played outside until the street lights came on. No cell phone, and the parents had no idea what we were doing or where we were.
My childhood changed drastically in 1969-1970 when we moved back to Hawaii and I met up face to face with the reality of racism of the local kids, and learned every Friday was kill Haole day and I was one of the two Haoles in school, so it was always my turn. When we moved on base I got to go to a school that was 1/2 white kids, so no more kill Haole day. We moved back to Montgomery, AL and I went to a school that was 70% black. I never had one slight issue, and had lots of friends of all races.
I received the letter from Uncle Sam, and a draft card marked 1A. When the lottery was drawn I was number 6. I was planning on joining the Air Force right after high school. 10 days before I would get drafted, they ended the draft. I do regret never having joined up in the Air Force and serving my country. I just went to work, paying taxes instead.