A Celebration of Real Childhood or God Bless the Boomers

This is dedicated to those Born 1930-1969!
ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED
the 1930's 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's


First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they were pregnant. They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn't get tested for diabetes.


Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered with bright colored lead-based paints.


We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and we rode our bikes without helmets. We rode in cars with no car seats, booster seats, seat belts or air bags. Riding in the back of a pick up on a warm day was always a special treat.


We drank water from the kitchen fawcett or a garden hose. We drank one Coke with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE actually died from this.


We ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank koolade made with sugar, but we weren't overweight. Why? Because, WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING! We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back home when the streetlights came on.


And, heaven forbid, no one was able to reach us all day on our non-existent cell phones. And we still survived.


We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem. We learned to plan ahead.


We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVD's, no surround-sound , CD's or Ipods, no cell phones!, no personal computers , no Internet or ! chat rooms.......

WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them! Like real social networks.


We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents. We ate worms in apples and dirt, and the worms did not live inside us forever.


We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls and, although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes.

We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked and played with them!


Little League, football and cheerleaders had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!


The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law! And God help you if you got in trouble at school with a teacher or the principal. Trouble was waiting again for you at home.


These unprotected generations have produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever! The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.


Why? Because we had personal freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned HOW TO survive IT ALL!


If YOU are one of these survivors . . CONGRATULATIONS!


You might want to share this with others who have had the same luck to grow up as kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated so much of our lives for our own good


And while you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know how brave (and lucky) their parents were and that happiness does not come in a package with a bar code on it.

Stephania's Peaceful Place

Desmond held her hand gently. The warmth of his touch, nesting her hand in his, always made her feel secure. He always brought her back to her peaceful place. A place where, no matter how tough things became, her spirit could gently come to rest. She needed to stay in this place now.

There is terrible storm outside. A dove, no a pidgeon is flying through the shrieiking wind and bullets of rain. Poor thing, it has nowhere to go, no shelter. Wait, it is flying towards the gate. It has found an opening in the small tower above the gate. There you go sweet bird, she says to herself. Now you are safe. Stay inside and waitout this storm. Keep the walls wrapped around you until this storm has passed.

Stepania Hornley awoke to find little changed in her stark, London hospital room . Where is Desmond? She thought, looking about her room in a panic. But as her eyes adjusted she slowly focused on the generic print of a manor house somewhere in Normandy or Brittany hanging on the
wall. She smiled to herself and remembered that Desmond was not here. He was not anywhere other than in her dreams, faithfully waiting her return.

He had not been here for many years, she thought. Not since death separated them in that terrible accident nearly twenty years ago in France.

She was sleeping more now, as the doctor's said she would. After all the cocktail of merciful medications, was keeping the dogs of her cancer pain on a tight leash. Letting her fly and visit Desmond more frequently. This was a good thing, actually a very good thing she thought. When she would take the final flight, no one was sure. She hoped it would only be soon.

Just then her physician, Dr. Doocot, came into the room smiling. He asked while reading her chart, "and how is my favorite patient today?"

"About the same, but sleeping more" she said. "Well that is to be expected Stephania. But tell me, how is your pain?" She shrugged "about the same". "Well then, let me see what we can do to make you more comfortable. We will increase the dosages a bit and let's see how that works for you."

She smiled and thanked him, thinking to herself works for me, a little more and I'll be out of this place for good. Smiling she said to Dr.Doocot, "tell me Dr. I've been staring at that painting and thinking I know that place. But I just can't remember. Are you familiar with it?"

Dr. Doocot turned to his right and said "actually yes I do recognize it, it's the Colombier at Manoir d'Ango near Dieppe in Normandy, it's quite famous." I've been there. A lovely place for holiday. Stephania said, "I see, do you know why there are all those little doors on top of the gate tower? The ones where the birds seems to be going in and out."

Dr. Doocot smiled and said "I believe that is called the dovecote. It's a place where the owner would keep doves or pidgeons protected from predators and the weather. Inside it is very quiet and peaceful for the birds. At one time they were a sign of wealth. Smiling at her he said, "my surname is actually the word the Scots use for a dovecoat." "

Drifting off again to sleep Stephania smiled and thought "protected from the outside, peaceful on the inside". I always wanted a dovecote.

Note: This is in response to a writing challenge offering a bonus character in search of a novel. The offer: She has always wanted to have a dovecote, but doesn't know what they are: Stepania Hornley