How old is grandpa?

By BOB URBAN

rurban@tnonline.com

Life is evolving so quickly, with the technology changing almost daily. But did you ever step back and think about how low you have actually been on this earth, and the changes that have occured since you were born?

A reader sent this to me. Read it and stay with it the answer is at the end. It should surprise you.It did me.

Here's how it goes:

One evening a grandson was talking to his grandfather about current events.

The grandson asked his grandfather what he thought about the shootings at schools, the computer age, and just things in general.

The Grandfather replied, 'Well, let me think a minute, I was born before:

- television

- penicillin

- polio shots

- frozen foods

- Xerox

- contact lenses

- Frisbees

- the pill

There wereno:

- credit cards

- laser beams or

- ball-point pens

Man had not invented:

- panty hose

- air conditioners

- dishwashers

- clothes dryers

- and the clothes were hung out to dry in the fresh air and

- man hadn't yet walked on the moon

Every family had a father and a mother.

Until I was 25, I called every man older than me, 'Sir'.

And after I turned 25, I still called policemen and every man with a title, 'Sir.'

We were before gay-rights, computer-dating, dual careers, day-care centers, and group therapy.

Our lives were governed by the Ten Commandments, good judgment, and common sense..

We were taught to know the difference between right and wrong and to stand up and take responsibility for our actions.

Serving your country was a privilege; living in this country was a bigger privilege.

We thought fast food was what people ate during Lent.

Having a meaningful relationship meant getting along with your cousins.

Draft dodgers were people who closed their front doors when the evening breeze started.

Time-sharing meant time the family spent together in the evenings and weekends-not purchasing condominiums.

We never heard of FM radios, tape decks, CDs, electric typewriters, yogurt, or guys wearing earrings.

We listened to the Big Bands, Jack Benny, and the President's speeches on our radios.

And I don't ever remember any kid blowing his brains out listening to Tommy Dorsey.

If you saw anything with 'Made in Japan' on it, it was junk

The term 'making out' referred to how you did on your school exam.

Pizza Hut, McDonald's, and instant coffee were unheard of.

We had 5 &10-cent stores where you could actually buy things for 5 and 10 cents.

Ice-cream cones, phone calls, rides on a streetcar, and a Pepsi were all a nickel.

And if you didn't want to splurge, you could spend your nickel on enough stamps to mail 1 letter and 2 postcards.

You could buy a new Chevy Coupe for $600, . .. but who could afford one?

Too bad, because gas was 11 cents a gallon.

In my day:

- 'grass' was mowed,

- 'Coke' was a cold drink,

- 'pot' was something your mother cooked in and

- 'rock music' was your grandmother's lullaby.

- 'Aids' were helpers in the Principal's office,

- 'chip' meant a piece of wood,

- 'hardware' was found in a hardware store and

- 'software' wasn't even a word.

And we were the last generation to actually believe that a lady needed a husband to have a baby.No wonder people call us 'old and confused' and say there is a generation gap... and how old do you think I am?

I bet you have this old man in mind... you are in for a shock!Are you ready ?

This man would be only 59 years old.