THE GOOD OLD DAYS

I yearn for the good old days when common sense prevailed. Back in the dark ages of my youth we did not need heat advisory warnings on TV, radio, or news print to tell us it was hot and what we should do to stay cool. We could tell it was hot just by going out doors and sweating. A simple thing like opening the windows and a fan or two sufficed. Evenings were spent outdoors, as people gathered on front porches and talked and the kids enjoyed the freedom of running around outside, as the house cooled down and it was bearable to go inside. We didn't have to be told to drink liquids. When we were thirsty we drank something to quench that thirst.

Now it seems no one can do anything without someone, somewhere telling us what to do and how to do it. Grocery stores shelves are emptied as a snow advisory goes into effect. I never went hungry with each snow fall, as there was always plenty of food around the house, no matter how much snow fell. Or being told to dress warm on a sub zero day.

After a rain storm, one would drive a few blocks out of the way and avoid that flooded viaduct and arrive at a destination safe and sound. Now we have to be told to avoid them, and only a few pay heed, as we see stories of people being rescued from cars almost on a daily basis.

Thinking has become passe, as the "nobody told me" seems to be the phrase of the day.