We often hear our parents or grandparents tell us how things were done in their day, and we marvel at the changes that have taken place in such a relatively short time.

Imagine walking through a foot of snow to use the outhouse when nature calls. Or riding a horse into town as your only form of transportation. Or sitting around a wood stove in the middle of a home to warm up. I recall my mother telling these stories and more. In the big picture, it wasn’t that long ago when they took place.

Do you ever wonder what stories we will tell future generations about the things we used to do?

How about telling time on a standard wall clock? You know, the big hand, the little hand, etc. I saw an online post the other day of a student’s drawing from a teacher’s request to draw a picture of a clock showing 10 minutes after 11 o’clock. The student drew a digital clock reading “11:10.” Sigh. Will standard wall clocks become a thing of the past? Have they already?

I was paying cash for a sandwich at a convenience store the other day and, as typical today, my change was automated into an attached metal bowl for me to scoop up. I asked the clerk what percent of their customers pay in cash now, and he told me about 20%. That seems to be about right. According to fortunly.com, cash accounted for 18% of all payments in the U.S. during 2022.

I vividly remember learning how to count change in school. One has to wonder if this is — or even should be — taught today. I do recall taking my then-4-year-old daughter Samantha to a store when she wanted to buy something with her own money. She didn’t know the difference between a dime and a dollar yet, so she just kept taking more coins out of her little purse and putting them on the counter until the clerk told her she had enough. We all smiled, but Samantha did the most as she was so proud of being able to buy something and pay for it herself.

Many of us are resisting the transition from vehicles with gasoline engines to those running on electric batteries. Despite our hesitations, the trend is undeniable, and we will see more and more electric cars on our roads and highways in years to come. Will the gasoline engine as we know it today go by the wayside in another decade or two? Doesn’t seem likely, but my grandpa couldn’t envision the automobile replacing his horse either.

How about you? What do you do today that will be viewed as archaic in another generation? Send me a note and let me know.

Have a wonderful Wednesday, and thanks for reading.

Shane Goodman 

President and Publisher
Big Green Umbrella Media
shane@dmcityview.com
515-953-4822, ext. 305
www.thedailyumbrella.com

View Shane Goodman's archived columns from past issues here.

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