I've been reading a book by Matt Haig entitled "The Comfort Book." The following is a quote from his book.
"Do you ever get a kind of gentle sadness
that almost feels good?
Like a nostalgia for a lost past
or a stolen future that is mournful
but also reminds you that life
is capable of such warm things?
And that you were there
to witness them?"
Oh my, yes. How about:
~ When your phone rang and it was never a robo/scam call, but rather friend or family wanting to chat and stay in touch
~ When people dressed in their finest to attend social events
~ When there was a dress code in schools for both pupils and teachers
~ When you were small and got a shiny, new silver dollar from your grandparents on each birthday
~ When there were frequent neighborhood weekend picnics in someone's back yard
~ When children played outside after dark without any kind of fear held by either parents or children
~ When children were taught to respect adults
~ When our environment was so clean and pure that one could keep a hive of honey bees in the back yard, harvest your own supply of golden honey each fall and the mysterious affliction known as Colony Collapse Disorder didn't exist
~ When extended families lived in close enough proximity that you knew all of them well which formed a tight bond
~ When a husband was able to work an outside job to earn enough to support the family and a wife's profession was to be at home to care for the children and create an organized, healthy, loving, peaceful haven for all
~ When it was rare you knew of someone suffering from cancer, autism, Alzheimer's or dementia, heart disease, auto-immune disorder, diabetes, or deep depression
~ When people, whether at home or out in public, believed that if you couldn't say anything nice, you didn't say anything at all
* * * * * * * *
Did the quote by Matt Haig bring any such "good sad" thoughts to your mind?
When the Golden Rule was the norm, rather then an exception.
ReplyDeleteWhen helping was done the heart without expecting payment.
Yes, I remember when......and many can still be found but have become fewer and fewer.
WI-Dee
The one that came to my mind was "When families actually ate at the dining room table every night and talked to each other instead of looking down at their phones."
ReplyDeleteI remember being out to dinner a few years back and watching this family at the restaurant actually talk to each other all through the meal. No electronic devices at the table. You could tell they genuinely enjoyed each other's company. The kids were probably about 10 and 12 at the time. It was so refreshing to see that instead of the young kids on their phones and parents maybe talking to each other. We do have a rule at our home when family is over that there are no phones at the table :)
Good insightful post and I'm going to look for that book.
betty
Anonymous - I particularly think the helping without expecting payment does warm one's heart. And perhaps too many people today always expect payment (a lot of the time money-wise) for helping someone else. What they don't realize is that doing a good deed because that's the caring, loving, giving way is what can do your own heart the most good!
ReplyDeletebetty - Sitting down together for good food and good conversation does bring back lots of good memories, but it's also sad knowing how very seldom most families do it with any regularity today.
Good post, Mama Pea. I'd like to recall a time when public figures--politicians, in particular--could agree to disagree and yet still get along, even form friendships while prioritizing the good of our country. I miss the respect that we used to give to our public servants: teachers, police officers, health care workers, clergy, military, etc. These days, I am terribly saddened to see the abuses/corruptions that are coming to light from inside our churches, schools, government and justice systems. This has given way to a cynical, fractured culture that lacks trust and robs innocence. I too yearn for that perceived Norman Rockwell world. Certainly that era had its dark underbelly but, at the very least, common decency towards each other was an essential norm.-M
ReplyDeleteAnonymous M - So well written. Amen.
ReplyDelete