8 things you think people forgot how to do.
As our society continues to progress, it’s clear we’re losing touch with some of the wonderful things that made us special back in the old days. Here are 6 things we forgot how to do:
1. Read A Map
A map? Do I look like an early pioneer? Dora the Explorer? Remember back in the day when you would pull the old Thomas Guide from the trunk of your car, find your location and destination and actually write out directions for yourself? Me either, because my Mom always did it for me. Turns out I’ve never actually been able to read a map. Technology got GPS systems oh. so. right.
2. Talk On The Phone
The computer has made it too easy to communicate without ever opening your mouth. I actually really like talking on the phone…if I like you. If I have news to share, you can bet I’m going down my list of people to call to share it with and if I don’t call you and we’re friends, it’s because you’ve expressed your hatred for phone talking to me and I’m afraid of you now. Hating the phone because you don’t have time to chat is different than hating the phone because talking to people gives you hives. Remember when we used to talk on the phone until 1am with the blankets pulled over our heads so that our moms wouldn’t open the door and see us still awake on the phone?
3. Bake From Scratch
My Mom says she baked cookies for us every week until we began sticking our noses up at them for the almighty Oreo. Why would she continue baking if store bought cookies made us so happy? What a time saver! Not to mention she headed back to work and didn’t exactly have time to whip up cookies all the time. And the trend continued. Nowadays they come in a bag, they come as a mix in a box, or as dough from a tube…but rarely will you find any of us measuring out flour and baking from scratch. I’m trying to get better at this!
4. Ask Your Neighbor
I don’t know my neighbors. I haven’t wanted to really, but when I was growing up I knew every neighbor on the block. We played in their yards, we knocked on their doors, we picked apples from their trees, and when we were short an egg gosh darnit we went over and asked for one. The neighbors happily hand over the egg, pat you on the head, and we would return their kindness later that day with a fresh plate of peanut butter cookies.
5. Chinese jump rope
Whatever happened to this game? I don’t know who taught us the rules, but we used to play this game everyday at recess when I was in grade school. We were jumping wizards! In and out, back and forth, on and off the rope…I couldn’t even tell you where to find a Chinese jump rope today, but someone needs to bring them back!
6. Bathe
Remember when we used to fill the bathtub one time? Our mom would fill up the bathtub and have our sisters and brothers bathe in it before it was our turn? And instead of filling the tub with new water we just added a little more warm water to the dirty water left behind by our siblings? Only to find out as adults that our siblings used to pee in that water? Should we get back to this communal bathing idea…or was that just my weird family?
Now it’s your turn!
Choose a prompt, post it on your blog, and come back to add your name to the link list below. Be sure to sign up with the actual post URL and not just your basic blog URL (click on the title of your post for that URL). For good comment karma try to comment on the three blogs above your name!!
The Prompts:
1. List 5 things you love about your pet.
2. Write about something you think people these days forgot how to do.
3. Book review!
4. Write a blog post inspired by the word: business.
5. Pick up your phone, tell us about a recent text exchange you had.
John Holton says
Instructions for Chinese Jumprope: https://www.wikihow.com/Chinese-Jump-Rope
I remember the girls playing this at school.
When I was traveling, if you rented a car, they had a whole pad of maps on the counter. The person checking you out would tear one off the pad, you’d tell them where you were going, and they’d know exactly how to get there. They’d circle your destination and sketch out the route. Now, they don’t know how to read the maps, either…
We used to do the same thing on bath night. I was oldest, so I’d go first. It was great to be the pee-er instead of the pee-ee.