Musings on Things I Miss or Another Sign of Aging?

I do hate to complain but of course that is exactly what I am going to do! I have just had a recent spate of events occur, that truly make me miss “the good old days of yore” when everyday living was at times so much simpler! The more I mused, the longer my mental list became but let me share with you just a few of the things I truly miss!

I miss knobs—they were so simple! Turn to the right, the power came on, turn to the left, the power went off. Need to reset a clock? Same principle applied—move the stem to the right to advance the time, move to the left to decrease the time. After a recent power failure, I went about resetting clocks, of which half were digital. The manual wall clock, mechanical alarm clock and two decorative battery operated table clocks were a piece of cake but the microwave and coffee-pot ones, tho’ not difficult, did require tapping more than one control.

The granddaddy of them all however, was the clock radio! Talk about a challenge. Here are the directions as printed in the manual:

1.With the clock power on, “press and hold TIME SET button for 3 seconds, you will see 12H digit flash in the display, press UP or DOWN button to select the 12 hour or 24 hour format. (I figured out that was actually the volume button to the right.)

2. Press TIME SET button ONCE the hour will flash. Press UP and Down to adjust.

3. Press TIME SET button ONCE the minute will flash. Press UP or DOWN to adjust.

The digits on the display flash in clock setting mode.

While set in the 12 hour mode, the PM indicator will illuminate to indicate the current time setting.

Keep and hold the UP or DOWN button to increase or decrease the value quickly.

4. Press TIME SET button again to save the settings.

NOTE: If no buttons are pushed within 6 seconds, the unit will revert to timekeeping display.

I don’t want to tell you how long it took me to figure it all out the first time— sufficient to say it took an inordinate amount of time, with great frustration and tears. But being a rather determined old broad, I prevailed. Course, I still cringe twice a year when we change the times. And don’t even get me started on setting the alarm on that device—now I just use a mechanical alarm clock or my phone.

There was a recent Kentucky Derby party, and guests were encouraged to wear hats. Many did—and I realized how much I missed them being an everyday accessory. They were easily found in all department stores at various prices and they came in sizes to fit one’s head circumference—no “one size fits all”— which is such an oxymoron! (Mine was 21 inches.) We wore them during the day when we went shopping, attended a luncheon, traveled on trains and planes, and upon entering a church. One never missed an event due to a” bad hair day” and they just added to a polished look as we were dressed in daytime attire. Along with those hats, were the gloves, and dainty handkerchiefs inside one’s purse. Those “hankies” were usually very pretty and embroidered or tatted. They served the same purposes of tissues today, but were washable, and reusable Lucky are those who may still have one, inherited or given to them as a gift.

In that same thread of thinking, I do miss how we have abandoned dressing appropriately for the occasion. When attending a cookout, one wore casual clothes but dining out to celebrate a birthday, anniversary, promotion, or just a date night out, meant “dressing up” which added to the specialness. There was a time not too far back, when coat and tie were required for entrance into all fine dining establishments and gentlemen were actually discretely provided them from a rack by the maitre de. Today of course, casual restaurants, fast food places, food trucks, and more people depending on quick meals, have totally changed the food landscape. I have certainly adapted to a much more casual lifestyle and manner of dressing but goodness, I must admit I am still taken back when I visit Colonial Williamsburg and observe what is being worn—or not worn —by so many visitors today. Sigh, another sign of being out of step with the times!

One other thing that greatly bothers me, is the current state of the Postal system. It used to be so reliable, timely, inexpensive, and trustworthy. Everything was dependent on the accuracy of the postal services. During the era when Christmas cards were mailed by most citizens, we would get two deliveries a day in our mailboxes the week prior to the holiday! (Those were the days!) From my own experience just within the past two years, I cannot share the same enthusiasm. Cards arrived in late January postmarked in mid Dec. Some mail simply was never delivered. Packages went back and forth to places other than to my address. Just this month, I ordered online a little lightweight summer sweater and was notified it was “on its way” from Littleton, Ma. on May 2nd. On the 3rd, the package arrived in Windsor, Ct. and departed there on the 5th. The following day it reached Butner NC. and amazingly reached Williamsburg,Va. late on the 6th, “pending acceptance” whatever that means. Unfortunately, I guess someone locally didn’t like it and sent it on its way where it eventually landed on May 10th in Hartsville, SC. Someone there finally sent it back to Williamsburg and I received it on the 12th. That sweater did more traveling and saw more places than I ever will in the years left to me! (What makes the saga of the sweater even worse, is the fact that I did not like it when I opened the package but I’m not about to return it!)

What I miss the most, is a REAL LIVE person’s voice when I call a customer service number! Inevitably, I get a robotic recording which gives me a series of numerical options to press on my phone. Well, sometimes there are so many, I forget what the earlier ones were for, so I hit repeat options. Once I understand them all— surprise—rarely do any of those have anything to do with my need for assistance. At that point I frantically hit “0” multiple times with the hopes of getting someone but all too often my attempts fail and I actually find myself screaming at a robotic machine which sometimes end with the recorded statement saying “We cannot seem to help you. Call back later or you may want to go online.” Even when the Gods are smiling favorably on me, and I get a customer rep, I unfortunately seem to get one whom I cannot understand and lives on another continent. And so I begin anew. Hate to tell you what it does to my blood pressure and disposition! But my, when I do get a wonderfully helpful live person, I want to adopt him or her on the spot! May they flourish and be Blessed all their life!

Well, I feel better now, airing my little complaints.

Feel free to let me know yours!

Have a nice day!