The Good Ol' Days

Every day

I get an email from an outfit called “Quotable Quotes” that shares quotes from various people from all over the world and throughout time. For example, there was one from the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates that was like his Hippocratic oath, but which could readily apply to our Congressmen today: "Whenever a doctor cannot do good, he must be kept from doing harm." (Substitute Congressmen for doctor).

Another from the American writer Kurt Vonnegut that had me laughing: "True terror is to wake up one morning and discover that your high school class is running the country."

Another from American comedian Mitch Hedberg: "Is a hippopotamus a hippopotamus or just a really cool Opotamus?"

But it was this one from the Roman poet Ovid that got me to thinking: “Let others praise ancient times; I am glad I was born in these.”

He’s right in that there is a tendency among people to sometimes wish for the “good ol’ days” because of nostalgia or reminiscing about a time in their life that was enjoyable, or perhaps when they were particularly happy.

I suppose it is different for each of us whether we would want to go back to the yesteryears of our life at some point and why. Maybe it’s because we feel that our economic circumstances or that our family life was better back then. Perhaps we had prestige or fame, or our health was much improved, or that special someone in our life was still with us.

Or, maybe these are the best years of your life, filled with happiness, love, a sense of purpose and you have no desire to dwell on the past.

Me, at this point in my life, I do not wish for the “good ol’ days.” But what I do wish for and strive for is to make each day that I have a “good” day so that when my time comes, I will have regrets, yes, but hopefully as few as I can make them.

May each of your days be the best that you can make them so that you’ll never become heartsick for the “good ol’ days” but rather look forward to the “good ol’ now days.”