Then and Now , The Exercise - Part I

I did this as an exercise taken from Writer Magazine. It turned out to be very revealing. While the examples I'm posting today are humorous - I was amazed at how profound some of the others were - and maybe sad. But enough of sadness for now. Try this exercise yourself - no matter what age you are - and you may learn some things about yourself too. Just use the prompts, "I used to".... "But now I"........... See where it takes you.

I used to…. watch Howdy Doody and Junior Frolics on our 12 inch Dumont TV and accept them as all we had to choose from

But now I….have 100+ channels and wish they would bring back Howdy Doody

I used to…gag at the thought of eating an avocado
But now I…can’t go a full week without one

I used to….run behind the DDT truck with as much vigor as if it was the Good Humor truck
But now I….try to avoid second hand smoke and warn my grand kids about ice cream truck drivers who may be perverts

I used to….wish my parents could afford to let me buy name brands instead of no-name brands
But now I….shun people who live by and judge others by the brands they choose

I used to….love tooling around in a 1953 Ford-our family’s first new car
But now I….am happy to not have a car

I used to….reject opportunities to upgrade from my typewriter and adding machine

But now I….cry and moan when my laptop is not available for an hour

I used to….walk on my hands and do flips across the football field
But now I….pat myself on the back if I get to and from Walgreen’s without tripping and falling