WorldWide Drilling Resource

Through the Front Door! by Jim Kuebelbeck To Those Born Between 1925 and 1955 . . . Although we may not be excited about growing older, we can be thankful we lived through those won- derful years. No matter what some of our kids and “the newer generation” think about us, we are awesome! Our lives are living proof. First of all, we survived being born to mothers who may have smoked or had a drink or two while they were pregnant. They took aspirin, ate tuna from a can, tasted raw cookie dough, used old home remedies to cure every illness or disease, and patched up cut fingers with nothing more than adhesive tape and pieces of cloth from an old pillowcase. Any of our bad bruises were cured with a kiss, and we were told to get back outside and be more careful. A visit to the doctor required more than a complaint of discomfort. A broken arm bent at a strange angle did qualify as a reason for a doctor visit. If we claimed we were “too sick” to go to school, we were told to get dressed anyway, and after a bowl of chicken noodle soup we were sent on our way! Mothers put their babies down to sleep on their tummies in baby cribs covered with bright-colored lead-based paints. We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, or locks on doors or cabinets. When we rode our bikes, we wore baseball caps, and not helmets on our heads. As infants and children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, no booster seats, no seat belts, no air bags, with bald tires and sometimes faulty brakes. Riding in the back of an open pickup truck on a warm summer day was a special treat. We drank water from the garden hose, not from a bottle. We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle, and no one actually died from this. We ate cupcakes, white bread, real butter, and bacon. We drank Kool-Aid made with real white sugar. And we weren't overweight. Why? Because we were always outside playing. We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back before dark. No one was able to reach us all day. We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride them down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem. We rode horses, made up games with sticks and stones, and although we were told it would happen, we didn't put out very many eyes. We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in. We did not have PlayStation ® , Nintendo, and Xbox. There were no video games, no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVDs, no surround-sound or CDs, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet, and no chat rooms. We had friends, and went outside and found them. We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth, and there were no lawsuits from those accidents. We would get spankings with wooden spoons, switches, ping-pong paddles, or just a bare hand, and no one would call child services to report “child abuse”. We ate worms, and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever. We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, and 22 rifles for our 12th. Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't, had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that! The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. Can you believe they actually sided with the law? Our generation has produced some of the best risk-takers, problem-solvers, and the greatest inventors ever. The past 60 to 85 years have seen an explosion of innovation and new ideas. We had freedom, we had failure, we had success, and we had responsibility, and we learned how to deal with it. If you were born between 1925 and 1955, it's good to have you around! The statements and comments in this article are based on information and references believed to be true and factual. If you have any questions or comments, please forward them to me in care of WWDR . Jim Jim Kuebelbeck may be contacted via e-mail to michele@ worldwidedrillingresource.com 7 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® APRIL 2019 June Issue Deadlines! Space Reservation: April 25 th Display & Classified Ad Copy: May 1 st