Beginning in the early 1960’s great grandmother and great aunt would send me birthday and special occasion cards that contained pockets inserted with coins. The denominations of coins added to the card, likely to compensate for inflation, were first nickels and then dimes and finally quarters. I was happy to receive these coins and would count and add the total amount to a ceramic bank where my money was saved usually to purchase a wanted toy. As an aside, it is interesting to note the changes in the value of consumer goods throughout a forty five year time period. For example, an average doll to include a “fashion” doll cost about seven dollars in the middle 1960’s. A typical single serving candy bar cost between five and ten cents at that time. By 2013, the same or similar doll can be purchased for five dollars while the similar candy bar costs one dollar. Perhaps toys are less interesting to children today and candy bars are more desirable thus the consumer demand of these products is reflected in the price (supply vs demand?) or maybe toys are purposely priced low to inspire a materialistic and selfish attitude in children or to confuse children through an over abundance of toys purchased due to their low cost. The last coin filled card received was from great grandmother that contained pockets filled with quarters where I was overjoyed with the total sum of this gift.
I participated as a group member in the Girl Scouts throughout grades one through six. Our troop was large, containing about thirty five girls. The leaders were active planning outdoor activities including woodland hikes and craft projects where I learned the skill of knitting. Projects of community service were also part of this program. For one community service project, we discussed how we could help or bring cheer to the elderly in our town. The idea decided on was to present an impromptu bouquet of flowers to an elderly person in one’s own neighborhood. In my neighborhood, one elderly woman was friendly and very well known and I expected and knew that she would receive many bouquets of flowers from other Girl Scouts living in the neighborhood. I knew of another elderly woman living not too far from my neighborhood who was less well known and so I decided to provide her with a flower bouquet. The bell was rung on the door of her home as I patiently waited for her to answer holding this pretty bouquet of flowers. She answered the door and I announced that these flowers were a gift to her from the Girl Scouts. She scowled and said she was not interested in flowers and slammed the door. With a lump in my throat, I delivered the flowers to the husband of the popular, friendly elderly woman in the neighborhood.
In second grade, I had a teacher who was not only strict, but kept the class on constant high alert. She carried a yardstick that she would pound on student’s desks to inspire academic achievement. I suspect however, that some students were petrified and this tactic for them may have had an opposite effect on learning. Throughout elementary school, there were repeated fire drills that required leaving the building, and nuclear war drills where we filed down to the school basement and put our heads against a cinder block wall. After asking about the effects of a nuclear war and receiving the answer, I wondered how putting our heads against a cinder block wall in the school basement would save us.
Retrospective: It appears that some people take advantage of a crowded situation to create trouble and cause mayhem. A few immoral troublemakers can influence many others to partake in like immoral