Monday Musings-Thank You

The column below is one I'll probably pull out periodically, or rewrite, maybe. We so seldom give thanks to those who make our lives better. Beginning with those closest to us, family, friends. Too often familiarity breeds a lack of thoughtfulness. We know, at least us fortunate ones, they'll always have our back. It might not always be in the way we want. Sometimes hard truths must be shared. To support someone indiscrimiately, whether what they do is in their own best interest, let alone anyone else's good, is rightly called enabling. And sometimes it's hard to resist when we love someone. That's probably material for another time.

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   Two little words. But they pack a punch. I regret that I am often remiss in speaking them in a timely manner. I don’t do New Year’s Resolutions, but I am resolved to do better in this area.
   Many years ago in high school, three of my classes were general business, typing, and bookkeeping, taught by the same teacher, Miss Gwen Gatewood. As an adult, in work and home life (balancing checkbook, price comparisons), I realized that those three classes had been priceless. I wrote Miss Gatewood to thank her. She replied thanking me. I only saw her a few times after high school, a couple of class reunions and my mother’s funeral, but I will always remember her. Without guilt, because I thanked her. 
   I had to drive  to Johnson City several times daily some years ago. Each Christmas a business along the highway which made and sold custom plastic awnings displayed an enclosure made of translucent awning fabric lit from within. Printed on the fabric was a manger scene in silhouette and the words, God with us. Each time I drove past the business, the sight cheered me even though I was working long hours with few days off and having trouble finding the ‘Merry’ in Christmas. I wanted to thank the owner and mailed a Christmas card to the business.
   Thanking God for life and health goes without saying, and often does, unfortunately. On a human level we all owe thanks to major groups of people for their contributions to a mostly peaceful, safe and comfortable existence in this United States. Our volunteer military forces are not compensated enough nor thanked enough. Nor our civilian police forces who also stand ready to put lives on the line to protect us. We may gripe about a speeding ticket but is anarchy preferable? That’s what we would have without that ‘thin blue line’ to enforce civil laws. 
   Other civilian groups we don’t thank enough are our utility workers - electric, water, both essentials to modern life. When nature runs amok, winter and summer, most are urged to stay home, but these men and women are called out to restore electricity and keep the water running.
So hats off to our many unsung heroes, you are appreciated, though we don’t say it enough.

   Winter is coming on and with it possible times of weather emergencies, after several periods of such this past summer, with summer storms and hurricanes. So it probably behooves us to thank those who stand ready to help all year round.

Not green? Puh-leeze!

Time for a rant, I guess. This piece is not original with me, but I think it bears wider circulation. I could be that 'older woman', minus the apology! Comments in parentheses and italics are my own additions. If anyone is offended, talk to me after you've hung a couple dozen diapers on a line in winter as your fingers freeze or washed dishes by hand for fifty years.

Checking out at the store, the young cashier suggested to the older woman that she should bring her own reusable grocery bags because plastic bags weren't good for the environment.

The woman apologized and explained, "We didn't have this 'green thing' back in my earlier days."

The clerk responded, "That's our problem today. Your generation did not care enough to save our environment for future generations."

She was right -- our generation didn't have the 'green thing' in its day.
(We just 'got 'er done'!)

Back then, we returned milk bottles, soda bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, so it could use the same bottles over and over. So they really were recycled.
But we didn't have the 'green thing' back in our day.

We walked up stairs, because we didn't have an escalator in every store and office building. We walked to the grocery store and didn't climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time we had to go two blocks. But she was right.
We didn't have the 'green thing' in our day.

Back then, we washed the baby's diapers because we didn't have the throw-away kind. We dried clothes on a line, not in an energy gobbling machine burning up 220 volts -- wind and solar power really did dry our clothes back in our early days. (Been there, done that!) Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing. But that young lady is right.
We didn't have the 'green thing' back in our day.

Back then, we had one TV, or radio, (if that) in the house - not a TV in every room (plus a computer in every room and several laptops and smart phones). And the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief (remember them?), not a screen the size of the state of Montana. In the kitchen, we blended and stirred by hand because we didn't have electric machines to do everything for us. When we packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, we used wadded up old newspapers to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap. Back then, we didn't fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. We used a push mower that ran on human power. We exercised by working so we didn't need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity. But she's right.
We didn't have the 'green thing' back then.

We drank from a fountain when we were thirsty instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time we had a drink of water. We refilled writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and we replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull.
But we didn't have the 'green thing' back then.

Back then, people took the streetcar or a bus, and kids rode their bikes to school or walked instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service. We had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And we didn't need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest pizza joint.

But isn't it sad the current generation laments how wasteful we old folks were just because we didn't have the 'green thing' back then?

Brrrrr

Winter has finally come to East Tennessee with a vengeance. Brr, have to leave a warm house first thing when I get up to take my husband's dog out. Upper elevations have gotten snow but us at lower elevations only got a few flakes. For which I'm glad myself. Grandson wants to see more snow. He'll change his mind when he gets a job. Not having to drive to work in snow and ice was and is one of THE best parts of retirement.