I miss some things, not just from last year, but from
several previous years.
Like being able to pick up a hitchhiking soldier; these days
nobody in their right mind picks up anybody with their thumb out, no matter
what they’re wearing. The good news is, soldiers no longer hitchhike.
I miss kids who say ma’am and sir. Sometime shortly after
Dr. Spock published his book, spanking went away, along with teaching kids to
be respectful. Coincidentally, I quit teaching school for that very reason. Just
couldn’t stomach one more irate parent walking into my classroom telling me who
was actually at fault for their lazy ass kid not being able to read and my not being
willing to put up with their foul mouth vocabulary that made even the sailor in
me blush, and then that parent threatening to “take me out” if I didn’t change
the failing grade. The good news is, my grandchildren are not among these.
I miss family dinners. These days with hubby working hours
that would have killed him when he was younger (ha!!), we rarely ever eat a
meal at the same time. The good news is that I have developed a whole series of
food items that do well when reheated. Takes longer to cook in the first place,
but then, I live to spend six hours a day in the kitchen. Well, maybe not, but might
as well be that way. The good news is we no longer eat out, I’m shocked at how
much it costs for someone else to cook something for me to eat. Even Chinese
food and pizza are, on the whole, cheaper and way healthier; at least I know
what’s in the stuff I put on my table. Er, make that the kitchen counter and
the stovetop.
I miss putting up and taking down a Christmas tree. No one
comes here to celebrate the holidays, even though they would, but Jim doesn’t believe
in Christmas, so I figure why bother. Last time I had a tree was when he was in
Iraq, and then I actually had two, the huge one with lights and 45 million
ornaments in the living room and the smaller all angel tree on the chess table
in the upstairs living area/office; both fake. Can’t remember the last time
there was a live tree in our house; well, ok, belay that, it was probably when
we lived in Hampstead, and the first year the cat came to live with us. But I
still miss the smell of fresh pine or cedar in the house for about two weeks. Sadly,
we no longer have a cat. But the good news is I no longer have to vacuum
seventeen times to get rid of the dead needles. Even better news is I have
discovered environmentally friendly room spray that comes pretty close to
approximating the aroma. But the nostalgia for Christmas past was especially evident
this year, with Denise’s live tree purchased from the Martin HS band.
Speaking of band. I miss music with lyrics I can understand.
And are meaningful enough that I want to remember them. Enough said about this item.
I miss television where the new season started in September
and continued through May, with repeats shown only in the three months of summer.
Speaking of which, I miss television shows that don’t measure customer
satisfaction by the number of rapes, bombings, murders, vehicle crashes, and
explicit language phrases they can shove into 45 minutes; which, by the way, is
about as long as programs seem to be these days, instead of the 52 minutes I remember
from my younger days. And, by the way, same goes for commercials. And movies.
On the other hand. I don’t miss living from paycheck to
paycheck (even though the stock market has done its best to totally erode our
savings in the past ten years). At times I miss the years when the children
were small, but I don’t miss having a child home sick from school, or emergency
room visits for a broken bone or stitches; don’t get me wrong, I cherish the
memories of when my children lived with me, but some things are better left in
the past; like midnight attacks of diarrhea and/or projectile vomiting. I don’t
miss having to depend on telegrams and telephones and snail mail to find out
how someone is; facebook and twitter and Instagram and even good ol’ email
changed all that. I miss going to Birmingham to visit my parents, but I am glad
they are both at peace. I don’t miss having to move every year at the whim of
the military mission. And I definitely don’t miss the years when hubby was in a
combat zone. So, with the dawn of a new year, upon looking back, I’ve decided while I wouldn’t trade the memories, I’m glad they are just that, and I look forward to making new ones this year.
As for new year’s resolutions? I definitely don’t miss those.
I simply don’t need the pressure.
