INTRODUCTION
The 1985 film Back to The Future plops Marty McFly down in the year 1955, smack dab in the middle of the baby-boom years. Having a television in your home was a rarity few families could afford, Elvis Presley was still a year into the future, and there was only one McDonald’s in the country.
Age has a way of making the unpleasant memories fade and the prism of time can romanticize memories of childhood. The 1950s and 60s were not without major political and social problems, but it was a great time to grow up. Kids could play outdoors without fear of some weirdo wreaking havoc on the neighborhood. We didn’t have any fancy video games, but could spend hours building forts, climbing trees, and riding bikes without wearing helmets.
It was a childhood of swimming in ponds and creeks, chasing fireflies, and eating and drinking stuff that we’re now told aren’t good for us. We had respect for law enforcement, teachers, and other figures of authority. We proudly stood, hand over hearts, for The Pledge of Allegiance, and were thrilled when we were the lucky one chosen to hoist the American flag in front of the school.
The genesis of this little literary adventure was a conversation between two brothers in a pickup truck. We began to reminisce about our childhoods and how much we missed those, seemingly, simpler and more innocent times. Those types of memories are precious to all of us regardless of the decade in which we were born and grew up.
We talked about some little things, simple things we could do to take us to a happier place for just a few minutes every day. As we continued talking we decided we should put our ideas into a book form. The result is what you hold in your hands.
Most of the ideas come from our childhoods growing up in the South and are purely Southern in nature. If you grew up in a different part of the country, we hope you can use these thoughts as idea-starters for similar experiences unique to your area.
Hop into your mental DeLorean, rev it up to 1.21 gigawatts of power and travel with us back in time. Then, come back to the future and put your memories into action. These simple things will help you remember that we don’t live in such a bad time after all and life can still be fun. To paraphrase Doc Brown in Back to The Future, where you’re going down memory lane, you won’t need roads.
Don and Reid Lundy
