Joe Willie On The Shrimpbox: "We Survived!"

"To All The Kids Who Survived
The 50s, 60s And 70s!"

First, we survived being born to mothers who
smoked and/or drank while they carried us.

They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing,
tuna from a can, and didn't get tested for
diabetes.

Then after that trauma, our baby cribs were
covered with bright colored lead-based paints.

We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles,
doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes,
we had no helmets, not to mention, the risks
we took hitchhiking.

As children, we would ride in cars with no seat
belts or air bags.

Riding in the back of a pick up on a warm day
was always a special treat.

We drank water from the garden hose and NOT
from a bottle.

We shared one soft drink with four friends, from
one bottle and NO ONE actually died from this.

We ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter and
drank soda pop with sugar in it, but we weren't
overweight because WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE
PLAYING!

We would leave home in the morning and play all
day, as long as we were back when the street
lights came on.

No one was able to reach us all day. And we were
O.K.




We would spend hours building our go-carts out of
scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out
we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes
a few times, we learned to solve the problem.

We did not have Playstations, Nintendos, X-boxes,
no video games at all, no 99 channels on cable, no
video tape movies, no surround sound, no cell phones,
no personal computers, no Internet or Internet chat
rooms...WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and
found them!

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth
and there were no lawsuits from these accidents.

We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and
the worms did not live in us forever.

We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made
up games with sticks and tennis balls and although
we were told it would happen, we did not put out
very many eyes.

We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and
knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked
in and talked to them!

Little League had tryouts and not everyone made
the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal
with disappointment. Imagine that!

The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the
law was unheard of. They actually sided with the
law!

This generation has produced some of the best
risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever! The
past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation
and new ideas.

We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility,
and we learned HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL.

And YOU are one of them! CONGRATULATIONS!
You're on the right side of the grass!