How Old?

How old do you have to be to be a grumpy old man? Is there a cut off line for years? Here we go with questions again.

The actual chronological time may not really exist to qualify, but there are some milestones to check. First one must remember when there was only black and white television. And, there was no remote control - you actually had to get up and go to the set to change the channel.

Next, do you remember when cars had no air conditioning. The dimmer switch for the headlights was on the floor. And, almost all cars had a standard transmission.

Schools didn’t have air conditioning, except for he principals office - maybe. Men teachers wore ties and were addressed as mister. Women teachers were addressed as Mrs. or Miss. There were no teacher aides and classes could be thirty or more. Discipline problems were few because if you misbehaved they would whip your butt. And, you didn’t want to go home because you would get another spanking there. Ah yes, that was a long time ago.

There were no calculators in school, much less computers. We used notebook paper and a number two pencil. I can still do long division on paper. It is something you just never forget. And, you could actually fail a course for not making the required grades. Those were barbaric days, but I remember them fondly.

One more thing about school. We walked to and from, unless you lived way out in the country side. Graduation meant no more walking. It also meant you could read, write a sentence that made sense and do enough math to hold a job. Wow, that must have been a million years ago.

Remember when there were no cell phones, only pay phones and party lines? How about returning soda and milk bottles to the store - talk about recycling. You didn’t have a choice on paper or plastic - just paper.

And, the sure fire test of being old is, do you remember that you lived within your means? Maybe I dreamed that but it sure does seem real.

Oh, there are lots of other measures like the first transistor radio, ball point pen, only seeing a movie at a theater, or playing outside with only your imagination to entertain you.

That’s how old it takes. Must be about a million years.

PMO
©2011