I often wonder what it was like to be a young adult back when the world was a much simpler place. There was no fancy technology, no dating websites, no Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. People actually had to talk face to face or over a real phone calls. Letters were not unusual, dating was simple, prices were lower on almost everything, and life was beautiful in it's own basic way.
I feel like I do not belong in this generation, my soul knows that it would have been better off in another time period. I envy my grandmother and even my parents when they tell me the stories of their past. The way they describe the older days is full of so much happiness and uncomplicated adventures of life. They lived for the moment and the world was much less complicated by technology, internet, and DVR. As I look through pictures of decades and feel like I should have been there when milkshakes were 25 cents, a boy called you on the phone, you wrote letters to loved ones who lived far away, the music was live, and the world was totally different. My soul and heart long to be in a different generation -- to be able to experience the Beatles perform live, have one T.V. in the house... if there even was a T.V., use an original polaroid camera, listen to the radio to hear current events, have family dinners at the table, have to stand and talk on the phone because it was attached to the wall, and every other task that Millennials take for granted.
Since I am a Millennial, I am very used to having a smartphone, laptop, T.V., camera, and social media at my finger tips. I am used to using my GPS to get me wherever I need to go. I can FaceTime my parents, nephews, and friends when I miss them. I post pictures to Instagram, write tweets, and post on Facebook at least once or twice a week. I have grown up with this being normal, human face to face interaction is limited. We don't date... we "talk" or "have a thing" and that consists of A LOT of texting and snap chatting. We don't go outside and go exploring, we binge watch Netflix instead. We have small children inside playing video games and watching cartoons all afternoon. While all these things are nice and technology has made our lives a little bit easier... We have lost the art of simplicity in our generation -- and my old soul craves that.
When I tell people that I really feel like I don't belong in this era, they laugh it off. But I mean it with my whole self. I wish that I was not so accustomed to the way we rely on technology and lack of face to face interaction. I wish that I could live they way people before me did -- be in another time period and enjoy the way life was for them. I want to belong to a generation that got to experience Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, and Pink Floyd. I want to belong to the generation that watched movies in black and white, used bunny ears to find a channel, drove 1970 Chevelle's and drank 10 cent Pepsi. I want to belong to the generation that went outside and found creative ways to beat boredom. I value the time when I was little and we would go outside to play until the street lights came on. I want to belong to a society that didn't have a choice between outside or Netflix because it didn't exist.
I am captivated by old photographs that show me a little bit of what life was like. I search book stores for the Historical magazines and was OVER THE MOON when I found the TIME Special Edition 100 Photographs: The Most Infulential Images of All Time. I get lost in the pictures I see from 1908 all the way up to 1978. I feel connected with those photographs and those time periods. The 1900's were the ages when America grew as a country and we developed immensely in all technology as a society. I wish I would have been alive to witness the milestones of our country and experience the enchanting times of the past. I may be a Millennial, but I know my soul belongs in a different generation.
