Because we only have 17 days left in the mid-west (which only really includes a few actual meals here where we are staying), it doesn't make sense to purchase food that we will not eat. And if my parents will not eat it either, then it's just a total waste of money! So in no particular order, these are some of the things i am missing:
I miss ice cream.
I miss vegan hamburgers.
I miss vegan hot dogs.
I miss vegan everything!
I miss my favorite snack foods.
I miss white chocolate chips.
I miss (so much) my bean, onion, tofu creation!
I miss my Thai food creations!
I miss clean water straight out of the faucet that doesn't smell like well water.
I could go on for days. Needless to say, i miss my good food.
back in the 1950's, getting old did not mean learning that much. When you get old, you are suppose to just retire... play a little golf, drink some wine, sit back and relax while you enjoy your life. You should not have to take classes to learn the new hip stuff! I mean think about it... the phones back in the day, the ones that hung on the wall, they were pretty much the same ones that had been around for years. Maybe they came in different colors. Maybe the cord was longer so you could chase around your kids or cook a meal while still on the phone. But the concept of having a phone where you rotary dialed the numbers, it was still the same old stuff as the 1940s. The concept of the TV was pretty much the same too. It was not until much later in the 70s or 80's that some people got remote controls, but even that didn't complicate the Tv too much!
today, getting old means learning a whole lot of shit! Cell phones, computers, internet, wireless systems, handsfree devices, iPods, DVR's, Satellite TV, DVD's, etc. I just got a GPS. I am not old, but this thing is making me say... what the??? on a daily basis!
I can not even imagine what it will be like when i am 80. Will i be like the Queen of England and have an iPod at the ripe old age of 83? By the time i am 83, who knows what new hip thing will be! I can't even figure out how to program the direct Tv DVR at my parents house. The stupid thing keeps telling me there is a new message... all i want to do is watch the news! (OK, and i also want to watch American Idol and the Office)
The plan is to grow old gracefully... the reality is we will all end up looking like complete idiots to our grandchildren when the new technologies come out.
Every once in awhile you come across something that makes you sit up and take notice of the world. It makes you see what you have and what others do not have. There are so many thing that we, as Americans, take for granted on a daily basis. It is something so simple and easy to get... we can go to almost any place in this country and it will be there. I am talking about Clean Drinking Water.
The reason that this story came out and pretty much called my name was this, my birthday was just the other week and i told all who wanted to give me something to NOT give me anything because i did not want to move anything more to California. In stead i asked people to give money to a cause that they were close to. I have no idea if anyone really took the 10 minutes it would actually take to sit down at a computer and donate to a cause. But if they did, i thank them for doing that for me and for those in need!
Another reason i love this cause, the clip about having too much stuff for birthday's. Every year we, as parents, purchase our kids so much stuff! I can not stress this enough, i'm getting tired of saying it because i don't think anyone is listening. It is something that sometimes shocks me, to walk through the toy section at the store. There is no longer one Barbie sitting on a shelf that only has one outfit.... oh no, you have Barbie, her entourage, her car, her house, her sister, her pets, her office, her entire wardrobe, her 2nd house, her hot tub, her pool, her second-third-fourth-fifth job, her entire life now has 2 entire isles at our Super Target! Not to mention they have knock off Barbie, and then there is the newer section of Bratz Dolls. This is just one toy item, don't even get me started on the 6 months old and under toy isle. How much can you buy for a new born, really?
Do we need it? Do our children really need so much distraction in their lives? The things that all people need to live is, water. Clean drinking water. It is not something that we have to think about. What would you do if you have to give your child a cup of mud water? How far would your walk to obtain a glass of clean water for your child? Luckily you will not have to worry about this issue any time soon. The next time you turn on your faucet, and watch the clean water come out for giving to your child... think about what you have been blessed with in your life.
