By Tom Phillips
To say "I liked it better when .." is NOT to argue that life in general was better long ago. Many things are better now. But as the song says, "something's lost, and something gained, in living every day.." This occasional feature is a catalog of things lost, or on the way out, that used to make life richer or more enjoyable.
Today's contribution is from Linda Given of Somerville, MA. She writes:
To say "I liked it better when .." is NOT to argue that life in general was better long ago. Many things are better now. But as the song says, "something's lost, and something gained, in living every day.." This occasional feature is a catalog of things lost, or on the way out, that used to make life richer or more enjoyable.
Today's contribution is from Linda Given of Somerville, MA. She writes:
I liked
it better when you didn’t know who would answer the phone, or
have to choose one person to call when you wanted to leave a message for a
group. I often wound up chatting with a friend’s father, or sister back
in high school days, and later with friend’s children or spouses or roommates -
it was a nice, casual and occasional way to develop a relationship. And a corollary notion: I liked it when my
phone rang and I had no idea who was calling.
Saying hello before I heard the caller’s voice. There was anticipation -
it could be anyone, someone I hadn’t heard from for years, or - it might be
something completely mundane.
