Remembering what I never knew.

I remember when we travelled no farther than where our legs would carry us. We smelled dirt, trees, plants, and heard birds chirp while we walked.

I remember when we grabbed eggs from the chicken coop to make ourselves breakfast. We thanked the kind ole hen for her contributions to the scramble.

I remember when we'd relieve ourselves outside because we could and we wouldn't get arrested for it. We fertilized the soil so that the garden would grow. It was a justifiable act before God and nature. Justified.

I remember when there wasn't any such thing as television, so we sure as hell couldn't DVR anything and skip past those time-consuming commercials. We talked about life and made up stories. Our lives were pretty good stories to talk about, in fact.

I remember when everyone was a singer, sharing melodies and lyrics with people who would listen. We didn't have radios, or divas, or American Idols. We were our own entertainment.

I remember counting the stars until my eyes fell shut. We didn't need a roof to keep us insulated from the beauty of the sky.

I remember when the sun woke us up by shining on our faces. We didn't have alarms screeching us into the waking world.

I remember when we sat down and looked at pictures with each other. We saw the facial expressions and read the body language of those who commented on our photographed memories.

I remember when we lived right next to the things that kept us alive. We slept close to the soil, we heard our animals graze in the field and we watched vegetables grow bigger on their vines.

I remember when items were made by the hands of a hardworking man or woman. A certain amount of pride was put in to each individual creation.

I remember when we used to pay for things in full. We didn't buy things that we couldn't afford. We didn't rest assured in credit. We knew what we did and didn't have. We never had what we didn't own outright.

I remember when everything was simpler. I remember all of these things because they were how life was lived. Life was simpler. It was struggle, story, community, and reality.

...ramble on...