The Golden Age

My bestie and I have been talking more these last couple years than in the last decade since we left college. We have hit our mature years in stride and talking about high-school and college. How we deviated from the paths we thought we were on and if our present in anyway resembles what we thought life would be like. And of course now we have hindsight on our side. What were some moments or pieces of time from your past that you miss?

My friend said he wished cell phone technology had stopped at blackberries. Simple scroll balls, using buttons for texting. I had a blackberry and hated it but I miss my first cell phone. It was a slider, couldn't play mp3s and people were using iPods. I recall wishing to have access to the internet at all times and thinking of how useful it could be. [And I agree, it is.] But I've also witnessed socializing on the internet going from being in a room with 20 people all talking at once and having fun to this miserable segregation we have now where you shout into a void of the internet and hope someone hears.

I would say the human interaction (in person specifically). Even if it wasn't you talking to someone one-on-one, it was always nice being able to hear kids outside playing or people laughing and talking. I also miss the way a lot of kids shows were made back then. Not saying you didn't have any bad ones...but I feel a lot of kids are getting mindless television these days and I wish that their movies and shows were just as great now than they were then. Maybe it's a silly thing to miss? But, I just want the new generation(s) to have shows that will leave fond memories or a genuine impact on them XD. Oh! Also, I really miss being active with my family. We used to be at a park/playground 24/7 when we were kids, but due to our circumstances, we haven't been out and about in such a way for 14 years. Also, also. I really miss the sound of nature that I feel I don't hear as often these days (I don't know if it's just me? But I feel like certain sounds are decreasing, but maybe it's where I'm located most likely). Especially mourning/morning doves (everyone knows this sound lol).

I miss not coming home until it was dark and listening for the ear piercing whistle my dad would do if you needed to get your ass back NOW.lol I miss getting lost in the woods for hours and not seeing anyone. I miss being a stupid kid, throwing mud at each other(Until some ass hole used sandstone. Buuuut... it's just sand! They said. lol) and using trashcan lids as shields. Hell, I even miss when my brother shot at me with a BB gun and I used a bookbag as a shield.lol But, what I miss most is just hanging out with friends, no distractions from electronics (Unless we were having a street fighter tournament.) and the feeling of having no responsibilities aside from just being a kid.

There's a lot of scents in the air during certain seasons that send me. In late spring, it's the smell of bailing hay during golden hour, petrichor in the summer before a storm, even the subtle hints of earthen decay in autumn send me to weird moments of time that held no importance other than the simple peace found in the scent in the air.

Absolutely love petrichor. If that scent could be bottled (Not the air freshener ones. They're not even close.), I think everything in my place would smell of it. That and fresh cut grass or the smell of a bonfire. What's better is the smell of snow. Just like right before it rains, there's a particular smell, only cleaner and fresher.

The summer of 2003. Days that never seemed to end, the sun seemed to shine a bit brighter, me and the boys running wild in the street. I think the final lines of Stand By Me sum up everything for me. "I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, does anyone?"

I think my best years might have been just before COVID hit. From there life turned into a bit of a mess. I didn't exactly like my living situation, I was kinda miserable. I hated my home town and the people in it, but things weren't as bad as they could have been. My living situation was fairly stable and while I wasn't crazy about my job, I later realized it wasn't that bad all things considered. Was managing to build up a decent savings. Even found myself in a long distance relationship with someone I met on this site. Sure she treated me like her personal therapist and didn't really seem to care about my problems, and it kinda dawned on me we probably weren't going to be meeting any time soon, if ever, but I knew that was the best I could ever hope for. Then everything kinda came crashing down at once. We sold our house at what was probably the worst possible time, job decided to let me go at the same time, making it hard to get a loan on a new place, and that girl decided to breakup all within the same week. Things only got more fun from there, but this is about our golden years not our worst years... Those years weren't very good, but looking back, it doesn't get much better. Second best might be the time I spent living in the Seattle area. It was depressing in it's own way. work was a stressful nightmare, but it paid well. was also nice to have at least gotten away from my mother, and I even got into some of the best shape of my life.

@neet_one Can relate. Nothing at all was perfect about my time in college, but I think fondly on it now. I went full time and had multiple part time jobs. I miss all that energy I had. A lot of it sucked, but a lot of it was also good. Happier times in general for society as well despite the War in Afghanistan.