Things an old man misses
Even though I am but an aged whiff of flatulence, I would never go so far as to suggest that life 50 or 60 years ago was better than it is today.
Too many variables at play. Too many apples to oranges.
But I can say that there are certainly some things I sorely miss from those long ago decades, things that made life at least a little better.
How about?
Coke in 6-ounce glass bottles
Part of the joy in getting a Coke when I was a youngster was the realization that when served in so small a container, each swallow of that sweet brown cola was absolutely precious.
And even though the laws of physics may not back me up on this one, a Coke in a glass bottle simply tastes far better, far crisper, far sweeter than does a Coke encased in either plastic or aluminum.
Of course, I might also mention that the Cokes in those 6-ounce glass bottles were made with real sugar rather than the mysterious and fat-inducing high fructose corn syrup.
Full-service gas stations
No, they weren’t called convenience stores or mini-marts or whatever. They were called gas stations or, in my neck of the woods, filling stations.
The concept was simple.
You pulled up to a pump and popped your hood latch.
A smiling man in a uniform would come out and ask, “Whaddya need?”
If you could afford it, the preferred response was, “Fill ‘er up.”
Which the attendant would do. But while the gas was pumping, he would also check your car’s oil and clean its windshield.
Again, I think it was called, “service.”
While I’m on the subject I should also admit that I sorely miss the price that I paid for gas back when I first began driving — 37 cents per gallon. Now 37 cents wouldn’t moisten the bottom of the tank.
Box scores in the paper
A picture of contentment from 40-plus years ago?
Me, a hot cup of black coffee in my hand and the sports section turned open to the baseball box scores.
Who got the hits! Who blasted a home run? How did that guy do who was with the Braves last year but is now laboring in Cleveland?
The box scores told you everything you needed to know. And, as Ernie Johnson used to say on Braves radio many years ago when a bloop hit fell in short right field, “It’ll look like a line drive in the box score tomorrow.”
Sunday batting averages
The same newspaper that brought you the box scores seven days a week also included in its Sunday edition the hitting statistics and the pitching statistics for every major leaguer who qualified with enough at-bats or enough innings pitched.
The stats were in long rows, arranged from best to worst, so you see exactly how Hank Aaron compared to Frank Robinson or Phil Niekro to Tom Seaver.
And yes, I know all of these stats are available on the internet 24-7. But that’s just not the same as holding them in your hand at the breakfast table.
And finally,
No daylight saving time
North Carolina went on daylight saving time back in the spring of 1968.
Until I grew older, I thought that was the best decision ever.
Summer evenings when the light lingered until 9 p.m. provided more time for playing baseball, riding bikes, just being outside.
Now, I wish it would get dark just so I can go to bed. Because I’m awake as soon as the sky begins to brighten well before dawn and once the eyes come open, no more sleep for me.
Also, I love to enjoy the views of the stars and the planets in the night sky. I can do that at 6 p.m. in December but the sky doesn’t truly darken in June until nearly 10 p.m.
My wish is that when we “fall back” in November, we never spring forward again.
Such are an old man’s laments.
Yet I wonder, even as I write this, what it is my children will miss from their youth when they’re pushing 70.
Don’t know what it will be, but when they too are aged whiffs of flatulence, I’m sure it will be something.
Bill Poteat may be reached at wlpoteat@yahoo.com.
This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: Life may have not been better 50 years ago, but some things were
