Stepping Back In Time

 

In my lifetime I have learned a lot from people born well ahead of me.  My grandparents, great grandparents and my own parents were a wealth of information and training not to mention a shining example of work ethic and overall integrity.  To them I am forever grateful.  Add in all the other mentors in my life, neighbors, friends and teachers, even co-workers and bosses and it becomes almost overwhelming.  I’ve read a lot of books and watched a lot of how-to episodes and videos to teach me things I still did not know.  More shining examples of what hard work can net you.

 

With so much going on in this world at the moment and within the past few years I decided that in retirement I want to really simplify my life, but in that regard, I also want to conduct myself in a way that is efficient, mindful as well as productive.  I want to step back in time to when my predecessors learned the things they taught me and live more accordingly.  How I clean and maintain my home, what I choose to wear, the way I cook and the food I eat.  Less modern, less technology, less reliance on a lot of the conveniences we’ve taken for granted.  How I procure the things I feel I need or want will be different too.  Even travel and transportation will change.

 

I enjoy, and always have, the older things from an earlier time.  Some of my most precious possessions are the dishes and cookware inherited from my grandmothers as well as my pyrex collection.   I love a lot of the older styles and while I’ve really enjoyed my more modern décor of late I’d like to try changing it up a bit and making it feel more like where my current interests lie.  I have a handful of vintage cookbooks that I want to make good use of and some older “how-to” books I want to spend more time with.  And, if at all possible, I’d like to be a better gardener.  Heck, I’d even be satisfied with a mediocre status.  I want to can my own homegrown tomatoes and veggies as well as make pickles and relish.

 

I have no illusions that the “good ‘ol days” were any better than things are now.  I know each decade through time has had its own set of issues and concerns, however what previous decades do have that appeals to me is nostalgia.  It warms my heart and makes me feel good and that is really the only reason why I would want to take a step back in time.  And there are still a lot of really good things, ideas and ways of doing things from previous times that I want to explore and experience.  With that in mind, I’m ready to get this party started.