Volume 11

First of all, I must mention that I have upgraded quite a bit since my last post. Gone are the days of typing on my iPhone as I have a brand new laptop! Very exciting but, it will take some time to get used to. I am not one for technology at all, born in the wrong time I think, and believe it or not as I type this post very slowly and adjust to the new setup, that is what this post is all about.

More often that not, I have the feeling that I was born in the wrong decade. Not to complain though, I am grateful for all the perks of being a 90s kid, the Disney movies alone are enough of a reason. No matter how old I get, Beauty and The Beast will always be my favourite movie, with The Little Mermaid coming at a close second. Those are also two of the newest movies I finally added to my DVD collection, I am a bit of a procrastinator if I’m being honest.And it was my lovely fiancé who got me those movies actually. Truly, there are so many reasons why I am thankful for the decade I grew up in, but Slap Bracelets are not one of them-ouch!

Yet as I got older, I realized the feelings of another decade that better suited me. Not to idealize another time or forget the here and now, which is all with its own treasures and blessings but, I can’t help but think what growing up in the time of my parents, the baby boomers, was like. Recently, I had dinner with my dad in which he beguiled my fiancé and myself, with the stories of his youth. I loved hearing the stories and listening to his tales of a life lived with no regrets. I have never spent a day in the 1970’s but truly wish I had because it seemed like a fun time to be alive, especially if you happened to be in your early twenties. The music alone is enough of a reason for me to want to travel back there. Just a hunch but I have a feeling that if a time machine ever did exist, there’d be a long lineup for that decade. And maybe a big part of it would have to do with Woodstock.

It’s a funny feeling to be millennial like myself, and wish for the past. I think the term millennial is synonymous with technology, social media and the digital age. I just recently got Facebook after going through high school and college without it. I must express however, that I am truly grateful for this day and age as it has allowed me to turn a habit into a passion in the form of a blog that reaches people all over the world. As I have said before there are many opportunities for people young and old to follow their dreams and be whoever they want to be and that is something that makes this time unlike any other. There are many new ideas and so many wonderful advances in our day and age that we are lucky to witness. But I think it is natural and normal to connect to another time. But most likely many kids today could not imagine being born in another era and that’s great for them. They will no doubt lead us into a future unlike any other with this next generation to come.

Most of my feelings have to do with my inability to adapt to technology. I do have an iPhone 6, and am not looking forward to trading it in, but phones with time don’t preform quite like they used to, though I plan to wait it out long as I can. I’ve had a cellphone since about grade 8 or 9 and I don’t mind them at all, I’ve gotten quite used to them and they are a great advantage. What I’m talking about is computer technology. I am reminded of a time in college when I was the only one not to pass a computer course, 45% I think it was, and yes this was about 6 years ago so I have no excuse. The way things are still going for me, I feel that if I was to retake that course I would still fail. I cannot use multiple programs for the life of me, and don’t feel that I ever will. This new laptop is beautiful and I am so elated about my new gift but it has many programs which i will have to seek help to understand and to my surprise, my fiancé as well. Truthfully, for now I am still typing on the notepad for but on a much larger screen for the time being. But that is temporary but a vast improvement and maybe the push I need o buckle down and start working on another dream of mine, a novel. Needless to say my mom, an aforementioned baby boomer, who grew up without technology, is much more proficient than myself.

Besides my proclaimed computer illiteracy which is an actual term by the way, I am fascinated with many things of the 1970s. Besides the music, which fills up my playlists for all who walk by my apartment or drive next for me to hear, there were so many people that to this day that remain great influencers on my life- one of which I was considering tattooing words on at one point-just in case you’re wondering, it’s Jim Morrison. Sadly, many of them didn’t live too long past the age I am now, but in their short lives they have lived on through many generations that came after them, including myself. One thing that I am looking forward to as a part of parenthood in which I hope to partake in one day, is the opportunity to introduce my kids to some of my favourite artists while they are willing to listen in hopes they become a part of their life too. That’s how my obsession with this decade started and how I became the self proclaimed old soul. Maybe learning a little bit more about the decade will help me find out why I am the way that I am. The way that life was lived in a time of self expression, love, with passion, strong beliefs and kindness is a way in which I believe we can all get behind. Maybe that is why I connect so much to people and their music in that time.

There are many who to this day, including myself, who feel music in the 70’s was and is unmatched today and I agree. That is not to ignore the music of today, but I know that the songs of my parents youth speak more volumes for me personally, but to each their own.I have already posted a blog about the subject, but one I would be remiss not to mention. The last thing I will say is the DJ at out wedding is well aware of our musical preferences and I expect guests of all ages to enjoy and hopefully be taken back in time.

The 70’s is definitely my preferred decade, but honestly anytime from the 50s and on would do. A simpler time as many would call it, no distractions, no technologies, but a lack of modern conveniences would be the only caveat. Our new apartment in all its beauty, is without a dishwasher which takes some getting used to and how two people are able to make as many dishes as we do I will never understand. But then again ,most of my knowledge from the 1950s comes from I Love Lucy reruns, a woman far beyond her time and a guaranteed way to instantly put me in a better mood courtesy of her antics and undeniable talent.

Today, there are many advances that we are lucky to have including ones in which are mostly everyone’s homes here. But it is a difficult task to go to a public place and find more than a handful of people who aren’t on their cellphones or laptops or even tablets. I do admit that I enjoy my phone and what I have been able to achieve on it, for instance this blog, but there seems to be a dependence on such things. That is partly why I wouldn’t mind the chance to live in a different time. The days of no cell phones, when one travel in person to see someone, face to face meetings were the the norm and we were just going to have to wait until the person we were trying to reach got home before we could talk to them. But for me that would mean no blog. I can only imagine if it was a different time if i would’ve found my love of writing or if I owe more than I know to the very thing that sometimes can drive me crazy.

There are many reasons to wish for the past, to feel as if we were born in the wrong time and to sometimes greatly dislike the times that we live in. To wish for simpler times, closer connections, old fashioned values and when time seem to didn’t rule our lives quite as much. But we can make the choice in our day and age to be present, to put the phone away, power down our electronics and connect on a personal level with others. We have the ability to live our lives in a way in which I know that I admire, where we realize what is important and what is fleeting.

As much as I feel out of place and I’ll use the word again, an old soul, my wish to go back in time is simply that, a wish. Plus, unless I could take all of my loved ones, including my three cats with me, it just wouldn’t be worth it. So in the meantime, while I am a millennial living in the year 2019, I will use that sometimes frustrating computer to travel back in time. Enjoying videos and words of people who lived at a time I never got to but who can make me feel like even though time machines are still a far fetched idea, at the end of the day computers are a not too shabby substitute. And most of all, to be grateful for the opportunity to live in whatever decade I choose at the click of a button.

Until next time…..