by Kathleen (O'Mahony) Coughlan
We were born before
television, before penicillin, polio shots,
frozen foods, plastic, contact lenses,
videos, and the Pill. We were born before
radar, credit cards, split atoms, laser beams,
and ball-point pens, before dish washers, tumble
dryers, electric blankets, air-conditioners,
drip-dry clothes and before man walked on the
moon.
We got married first, and then
lived together. We thought "fast food" was
what you ate in Lent, a Big Mac was an
over-sized raincoat, and crumpet we had for tea.
We existed before house-husbands, computer
dating, and when a
meaningful relationship meant getting along
with cousins, and sheltered accommodation was
where you waited for a bus.
We were
before Day-Care centres, group homes, and
disposable nappies. We never heard of F.M.
radio, tape decks, electric typewriters,
artificial hearts, word-processing, yogurt, or
young men wearing ear-rings. For us
time-sharing meant togetherness. A chip
was a piece of wood, or fried potato.
Hardware meant nuts and bolts and soft-ware
wasn't a word.
Before 1945 "Made in
Japan" meant junk. The term "making out"
referred to how you did in your exams, "stud"
was something that fastened a collar to a shirt,
and "going all the way" meant staying on a
double decker to the bus depot. Pizzas,
McDonalds, and "instant Coffee" were unheard of.
In our day, cigarette smoking was fashionable,
grass was mown, coke was kept in the coal-house,
a joint was a piece of meat you ate on Sunday,
and pot was something you cooked in. Rock
music was a fond mother's lullaby. A gay
person was the life and soul of the party, and
nothing else, while aids meant beauty
treatments, or help for someone in trouble.
We who were born before 1945 must be a hardy
bunch, when you think of the way the world has
changed, and the adjustments we had to make.
No wonder we are so confused and there is a
generation gap today, - but by the Grace of God
we have survived.