Do You Remember?

The coming of spring always makes me sentimental, although I’m not sure why. I’m almost as nostalgic as I am during the holidays. Do you ever have those waves of just really missing something or just remembering when? I never thought I’d ever say—or write—those words—“I remember when…”, but it looks like I’m about to. A couple of times even.

I remember when flip flops were called thongs. My juxtaposing these two terms has been an endless source of amusement for teen relatives and friends of my children. “Ha ha ha. She said she wore thongs on her feet. Ha ha ha.”

I also remember the days when men wore their pants around their waists and men’s shorts were actually short. Whoever came up with the idea to dress men like toddlers was apparently trying a subtle form of population control, because there is nothing remotely sexy about a guy tottering around trying to hold his pants up.

I remember the days before social media, when I could be invisible if I wanted to. I still can to a certain extent, but everyone now leaves a digital footprint. It’s odd to think that there was a time when people got to know each other by what they taped to their dorm room doors or on their binders. You could learn a lot about a professor or fellow dorm dweller just by what they taped on their doors or hung on their walls. Those were our Facebook profiles back in the day—pictures of favorite bands, profound quotes, announcements of poetry contests, etc. Hmmm, not too different than now, if you think about it.

I remember when I could find clothes that actually fit my entire body everywhere...wait, no, that's never happened. Nevermind that one.

I remember the 80s and the Cold War, which appears to be starting up again. People younger than me don't have memories of growing up under the threat of nuclear war, which then suddenly, with the crumbling of one big wall, thankfully dissipated. I do, and it's weird to think I lived through something "historical" that's now taught in history class. I also have memories of MTV and watching some really terrible music videos, some so hilariously awful they make reality TV look Oscar-worthy in comparison. But we devoured them, craziness and all, mesmerized. Who could resist? Where else could you see a guitar player setting fire to a priceless 16th century painting with his hair?

I miss really good actors. My faves are getting older and dying or leaving  the biz at a rapid clip, and I just can't get into any of the newbies. They all kind of look alike to me--same hair, same make-up (for the ladies), same come-hither tattoos, same quirky I-don't-care-what-you-think-of-my-style kind of style, same personas. And personality? Not too much. There aren't many originals out there, and I'm really struggling to find a movie with actors in it that I'd pay more than a dollar to see.

I remember pet rocks and Rubik's cubes, although I have to admit I liked the pet rocks better. I could never figure out the cubes, but the little ones did make great keychains. We had all kinds of mindless useless stuff at our disposal to keep us entertained, at least when we weren't watching music videos on MTV.

What about you? What do you miss or remember? Please do share in the comments section. 

Happy Reading!