Old-Fashioned Girl

I know I’m old fashioned
But I don’t mind it
That’s how I want to be
As long as you agree
To stay old fashioned with me

So sang Ella Fitzgerald a few years back. And, do you remember Teresa Brewer singing, “Sweet Old Fashioned Girl”? Anyway, sometimes I feel terribly old-fashioned and out of step with the fast pace we seem to be traveling. But, there’s not much I can do about the way I am. Probably wouldn’t want to change if I could.

For example, those books that I grew up with: Pollyanna, Anne of Green Gables, Nancy Drew, books by Zane Grey, Thornton W. Burgess. Don’t remember them? No wonder. Some of them are older than I am but I remember reading them and being transported out of the commonplace into a magical world of fiction. They are still listed on Amazon, by the way.

And yesterday’s songs: well, they date me even more than books do. There are so many songs that I learned as a child and a teenager that I couldn’t begin to list them all. Suffice it to say that the songs had distinctive melodies, the lyrics were upbeat or told a story, and the singers enunciated the syllables so no one had to guess at what they said. Quite a long while ago, someone said that he didn’t care who wrote the laws as long as he could write the songs. That makes a lot of sense. Music is what makes the world go round. It can make a dark day brighter or, I’m afraid, negative or downright nasty lyrics can invade minds and perhaps cause destructive behavior. Have any studies been done on this? I sure can’t prove it but it is a theory of mine. If you don’t ascribe to it, that’s OK.

I’m not complaining about technology. I love using my computer and the almost magical stuff that the internet can do. I’m amazed at scientific progress and its benefits for mankind. Yet, deep down in my heart I realize that yes, I’m pretty old-fashioned. But, that’s all right with me too.