‘Blew my mind’ piece brings back memories

Don Estep is Publisher Emeritus of The News Journal.

From time to time the following “Blew My Mind” piece has appeared on Facebook. I do not know who the author is, but it hit home with many of the experiences that some of you and I have had in our lifetime. I cut out a few of the observations and added my comments to some of the thoughts. I think you will enjoy this:

“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, voicemails and e-mail….Go back, way, back, I’m talkin’ bout hide and seek at dusk….

Red Light, Green light…Red Rover, Red Rover…..Playing kickball & dodge ball until the first, no, second, no, third street light came on.

That was it exactly for me. There was a street light in front of our house and we played until that third light down the street came on.

Ring around the Rosie, London Bridge, Hot potato, Hop Scotch, Jump rope, YOU”RE IT!

Parents stood on the front porch and yelled(or whistled) for you to come home—no pagers or cell phones.

Take One Giant Step…May I? Seeing shapes in the clouds. Endless summer days and hot summer nights, no AC, with the windows open. The sound of crickets.

How I loved waking up in the morning to the smell of honeysuckle and roses just below my bedroom window.

Running through the sprinkler. Cereal boxes with that GREAT prize in the bottom. Cracker Jacks with the same thing. Watchin’ Saturday morning cartoons. serial adventures, Captain Midnight, Cisco Kid, The Long Ranger, Boston Blackie.

My favorite movie serial was Captain Video which played every Saturday at the Viv Theater.

Catchin’ lighting bugs in a jar, Christmas morning, Your first day at school.. Climbing trees. Swinging as high as you could in those long swings and try to reach the sky.

I got knocked silly when swinging from our big poplar tree with a rope attached to a tire.

Runnin’ home from the western movie you just saw til’ you were out of breath. Laugh so hard that your stomach hurt.

I ran home from the theater after watching “The Day the Earth Stood Still” and was afraid of every shadow and sound. All night long I peeped out my bedroom window to see if a space ship had landed.

Rainy days at school and the smell of damp concrete and chalk erasers.

Kool-Aid was the drink of the summer. So was a swig from the hose.

Giving your friends a ride on your handlebars of your bike. Attaching pieces of cardboard to your bike frame to rub against your spokes.

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 from school.

When your parents took you to the cafeteria and it was a real treat.

My first trip to the Blue Boar Cafeteria in Louisville was a thrill beyond compare.

When being sent to the principal’s office was nothing compared to the fate that awaited you at home. Abilities were discovered because of a “double-dog-dare.”

Catching fireflies could happily occupy an entire evening.

That is still happening with my grandkids.

Getting a foot of snow was a dream come true.

The worst embarrassment was being picked last for a team.

I had that happen a time or two.

The entire article can be found at thisblewmymind.com

Those were the “Good Old Days.”