before your read my dribble, I need to give some props to a fellow old fashioned gal I had the privilage of meeting at this year’s mil-blogging conference. She’s blogs over at Diamonds, Dogtags and Diapers and I pretty much think she’s the most awesome girl and as sarcastic as I could only hope to be. She really pushed me over the edge in writing this. I have written a post like this before a billion years ago, but the thoughts were triggered again and I discovered some amazing posts by her on a similar topic. I love her!!
I really could write this post, with that title, about a million things. Ever since I was a little girl that’s how it’s been. My mom is pretty much the reason I’m the way I am, and her mom before her. Talking to adults was always easy for me, but my parents always made me. Not in the evil sense of the word, but in the “this is what you do when you’re a human”. I went to visit my great grandma in the nursing home and performed for all the people there. I continued doing that well into my young adult hood. By the time I was 10 or 11 I knew all the words to Bon Jovi and Nelson songs and would sing them with my mom and her best friend. I watched Black and White movies and knew all about Bette Davis, Jimmy Stewart and Lucille Ball when she was in movies before I Love Lucy. I wrote thank you cards, and sent out invitations to parties. Phone numbers were memorized and I mailed letters to pen pals.
There was so much that was wonderful about growing up in the 80s and 90s. It was pretty rockin’ if you ask me. It wasn’t perfect, but what is? I’ve always been an old soul and I like that about me. As I grew up I continued along that old soul path – developing a love for antique hunting, vintage books and clothes, and I picked up some other amazing old soul type friends and an old soul hubby.
These are my antique shopping, party planning, vintage movie watching, old school chicas – and my mommy and me on New Year’s Eve. We appreciate things like power movies that had Jimmy Stewart and Cary Grant in them at the same time, an amazing thrift store find, RSVPs and simple things like that. Whenever I get annoyed about things they are who I call..and I’ve been on the receiving end of one of those conversations from several of these ladies a couple times.
I guess the point of this is are we losing this these days? Are we to busy? Are we too selfish? When I got married, sure it was about me. No one could argue that. But I didn’t spend the time thinking all about me. The hubbs and I included so many personal touches that were not only important to us, but meaningful to others. We took the time to acknowledge others when it came to that special day and not ourselves. We didn’t rush to it just to please us, we remembered we had parents and loved ones. It might have been quicker and easier for us to have gotten hitched real quick at tech school or something, but not only did we not want to rob ourselves of that experience, we thought about our parents who deserved to see the culmination of all their hardwork. We thought about all our friends and family members, and the people that led us in our path to where we are – boy scout leaders, Sunday School teachers and people like that. When I throw parties for my kids they write thank you notes. Sure they are only 3 and 5 and can’t write a ton or at all, but we still do them. Ami colors on hers. This year Brian wrote his name on all of them and on some of them copied the word Thank You. I will always make them do this because I hope one day, like me, they will do them on their own and then teach their kids, and be the crazy dorky lady (or guy) that isn’t “with it”. I’m pretty sure that’s what my mom hoped for when she was teaching me to write thank you cards.
