May I have your attention please? You have probably heard those words many times in your life, but these days, many seem to have the attention span of a goldfish. Perhaps it’s the influence of smart phones or social media, with their ability to provide instant gratification. Think back … Do you recall listening to a program on the radio? How about lectures and speeches without accompanying power points or video presentations? Has your ability to pay attention changed? Share your Attention Span stories forward.
What was mealtime like as you were growing up? Did you sit down with your family for home-cooked meals at a certain time every day? Were you expected to remain at the table until everyone had finished eating? Was there lively conversation or was it relatively quiet? Or maybe you enjoyed those convenient TV dinners while watching family friendly fare on the tube. Think back … how did your mealtimes as a child compare with those as an adult, or with your mealtimes today? Share your mealtime stories forward.
In 2017, the last time Retrospect asked about 9/11, memories might have been raw. But with today’s global pandemic crisis, which has killed more than 4 million people worldwide, 9/11 might seem distant—a single day when the threat to our security, a sudden blow from a terrorist force, killed 3,000 people. Think back … about your recollections now that 20 years have passed. What stands out about 9/11 now? What would you like today’s children and teenagers, who were born after 9/11, to know? Share your 9/11 Twenty Years Later stories forward.
On this Labor Day weekend, let’s focus on the “going” to work as well as the “working.” Think back … as a child, did you know how the grown-ups in your life got to work? In your own working life, did you ever have trouble getting there? If your employer did not provide parking, did you drive anyway, or use public transportation? What about carpools? Has the pandemic affected how you or someone you know goes to work? Share your Going to Work stories forward.
Sometimes a home repair is a remodeling project, undertaken voluntarily, that you are excited about. Sometimes it is a response to a disaster like leaking pipes that cause a flood. Think back … to a construction project in your childhood home or later in a house that you purchased yourself. Was it a delight or a disaster, or a little of both? Share your Home Repair stories forward.
Senior Citizen Day is August 21, and that’s cause to celebrate. But with senior status often come senior moments—those “momentary” feelings of drawing a blank, losing words or names, or forgetting something familiar. Think back … Did your elders have those embarrassing mental lapses? Did you understand at the time? Do you find your senior moments funny, or dread them? What do you do now to remain at the top of your game? Share your Senior Moments stories forward.
Most of us baby boomers remember dating in the ‘60s, and some of us, whether still single or newly single, have also dated in the age of the Internet via sites like match.com. Lots of changes in dating norms and expectations over the decades, but some things never change: Cosmopolitan Magazine still offers dos and don’ts of dating! Think back … about a memorable date, or dating in general. Share your Dating stories forward.
It’s the beginning of August, exactly halfway between the Summer Solstice and the Fall Equinox. Think back … to a significant and/or memorable summer of your life, whether as a child or adult. Maybe it was time spent at summer camp, or an exotic trip, a summer job that was fabulous or terrible, or even just being lazy at home. What happened that summer, and how did it affect you? Share your That Summer stories forward.
Red ribbons, carnival rides, pigs and sheep, peach pies—state and county fairs are quintessentially American events for family fun in the summer. Whether in urban or rural places, fairs are venues for competitions, concerts, and cotton candy. Think back … did you visit a state or county fair with your parents, or your kids? Did you take part in an exhibit or contest? Are these fairs still fun, or are they relics of the past? Share your State or County Fair stories forward.
In the 1950s, to occupy all of us baby boomers, the hobby industry boomed with a proliferation of kits. Paint-by-numbers; model airplanes, cars, trains, and boats; beading and weaving; stamp and coin collecting; paper dolls … most of us had hobbies. Think back … What role did hobbies play in your free time? How did they affect your adult life? Share your Hobbies stories forward.
