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In that era where friends, family and fellowship were the rule of the day and the desire of our hearts there was a simpler time. Now in today's language "simpler" means something different. Today simpler means easier. The phrase simple may even denote the intellectual ability of a friend and or a coworker. But when I was younger simpler meant less stress. You know if you are old enough to remember the band Paul McCartney was in before wings you may remember that "stress was not even in our daily vocabulary unless to described conditions we could not avoid. Stress on a tree trunk in a stiff wind. Stress on your roof after a heavy snow. The stress on the summer corn crop due to too little rain. Now there is stress everywhere. We "stress out on the price of gas or milk or bread. Our jobs are so stressful we need counseling to deal and cope. We stress about the economy, the environment, the congress, the president, the world. When did we get so involve in the whole scheme of things that we can not walk up to a restaurant counter with out stressing out about having to decide weather or not we want to super size it. Then we can stress about our weight. Got to get to the gym to work off some of this stress. Then you have worked off so much stress you need medication to ease the pain and a good stiff drink to relax the stress of trying to relieve all your stress. ENOUGH ALREADY! ALL THIS TALK IS STRESSING ME OUT! Where did we go? Where is the front porch, the back yard fence(less than 5 ft tall), and the sidewalks? For me I think it all stems from the disappearance of the sidewalks and front porches. When I was a kid the side walk was like my own supper highway. I could get aboard that tiger stripped banana seat on my bike, take a firm grip onto those high stretching handle bars and explore the whole world from that supper highway and never cross the street. I could sit on that front porch swing and listen to history, politics, culture and current events with out my heart rate even slightly rising. I could lean over the back yard fence and discuss Bob Gibson or Bart Star or Hank Aaron and never once wonder of they were hopped up on steroids or if their multimillion dollar contract was going to be picked up. We bragged about their achievements as athletes and dreamed of one day making that great pitch or throwing that long bomb or hitting that homer. Can anything replace the feeling of wonder and amazement you would have just watching the sun set from a squeaky front porch swing. Now there is your stress relief. Or perhaps a walk down the sidewalk in the fall striding through the dried leaves as a crisp breeze caresses your cheeks? The smell of the first oak log being lit in someone's fireplace or the aroma of burning leaves down the block. The gas light coming on in the front yard. The sound of Matt Dillon and Festus and miss Kitty filtering out of the screen door from across the street. Moms calling for their kids from the kitchen windows. "Coming mom" They would yell back as they would race down the sidewalk tossing bicycles in the yard with out the slightest worry that they would not still be laying there ready for the trip to school the next morning. No stress just life and what you did with it and most importantly what you learned from it.

My only wish would be that the sidewalks, and porches and squeaky sings would make a come back and that the next generation would re discover the peace that lies in the rhythm of the front porch swing.

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