I’ve been reflecting upon many of our favorite games and toys “back in the day”.
What in the world were our parents thinking when they gave us those “Thing Makers” that heated to the point of melting steel and used molten plastic! Yet,I enjoyed that toy and was never injured.
We often rode in the open back of pickup trucks. I even was allowed to ride atop of huge hay wagons on the farm. Wahoo! Glad that I did!
I had a BB gun and never shot my eye out! I lived on one of the steepest hills in North Adams and never wore a bike helmet either!
I borrowed my brother’s brand new runner sled, just after Christmas one year,and returned it in a semi-circle shape after sliding through the woods and hitting a tree at about 30 mph! I was riding face first on my stomach.
Another of my favorite activities was pounding small colorful rocks to powder on a boulder that was left,in our neighborhood, from the Ice Age. No safety glasses,lots of fun!
We played with fire works, climbed trees and silos, and swam right after eating! (a myth we now know is not unhealthy!)
I owned my own 22-rifle at age 18 and drove a 1967 Camaro with a 350 4-barrel, man THAT was a car! The front end lifted every time you buried the gas pedal! Never shot anyone. Never got a speeding ticket.
I spent one whole summer screaming around the farm with my cousin’s mini-bike and riding a horse that really did not want to be ridden. I did not own a helmet.
I ate extremely rare meat and drank raw milk.
Even at the age of 6, I helped cross the cows and held my ground against a few feisty Brown Swiss.
One of my sports, was to time the clicking electric shock mechanism and grab the electrified fences without getting zapped.
Those were the good old days for sure!
I broke my leg while running in the dark,my wrist falling down the stairs,and got a fish-hook in my ear.That was a humorous event.It was my first attempt at casting over my head. I had no idea where the hook went until I felt a tug on my ear as I was reeling in.
We’d play out in the neighborhood all day until the street lights came on, then headed for home.
I know the safety equipment is important to use and I insist upon seat belts, helmets and the buddy system. It just was once a time when everything was carefree and I cannot believe I survived it!
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