I’m trying to decide, is the world a better place now, or back when I was young? It’s so tempting to just say things used to be better, and most people in their eighth decade wouldn’t hesitate to declare it so! But me…I’ve always been a deep thinker. I never jump to conclusions, and I’m certainly not going to do so with close to a century of experience under my belt.
The world is just so confoundedly different. All this tech and such, computer shows, television on demand. The practical arts have declined, certainly. My daughter used to rule the flower shows, which were held in most areas of Sydney. Her hyacinth bulbs were sought after in the marketplace. Heaven knows where she got that skill because embroidery was more my private profession. Only now, when I chat to Felicia on the phone, she doesn’t talk much about her hyacinths any more. She did mention something about my grandson doing an IT course and coming home to show her how to work her…tablet? That’s something to do with technology, I’m sure. I did ask once, about the flowers.
“Oh, Mum!” she said, with a laugh, “I don’t do those any more. Besides, the nearest one is in Adelaide.”
That’s when I realised, last time I visited the family home the garden had shrunk to make room for the patio, and the hyacinth plantation was just a small section grouped in with the daffodils. Plenty of technology around the house, though. The television was so big you could use it as a toboggan. But still, not as many flowers.
I suppose technology gives us all kinds of things. I might only be alive because of it! But nothing quite beats a lovely patch of tulip bulbs, waiting to grow strong and beautiful. Maybe I just can’t declare an answer to the question by myself, biased as I am.
-Hilda