Our Maine Street's Aroostook Issue 27 : Winter 2016 | Page 10

As the short days and frigid nights of January loom ahead, I reminisce of childhood winters when being outside was not such an objectionable notion. As my parents did before me, I often impart to my daughter stories of my winter adventures playing outside all day in the snow, even after supper if it was a clear night with a full moon. I never thought I would get old enough to say, “When I was a child we…” But, it happened. Here I am, a middle-aged woman gazing out the window at the snow laden trees, nostalgically reminiscing. I know why I don’t like the outdoors in winter; I don’t like the cold. It causes my joints to ache and just thinking about trudging from the house to the garage makes me tired. But, why is it those youngsters don’t play outside much anymore? Why don’t they enjoy the snow as we did when I was a child? further and further apart with each generation. Is it solely because of modernization? Do those new inventions which promised to make our lives easier and less complicated actually complicate our lives? Or, it is that we have so many entertainment choices inside that we don’t need to go outside except to move from point A to point B, from home to work, school, church, shopping, movies. Certainly, we now have most anything we want right at our fingertips. We can reach most anyone in an instant, even if she is on another continent. News reaches us almost as soon as it happens, and sometimes as it happens. We can access movies on demand and books without going to the library. If we do elect to exit our homes for entertainment, we can hop in our cars and easily navigate the sometimes treacherous Aroostook County roads with confidence and head to town or even to Portland. Now remember, I am speaking of Aroostook I wonder why it is that our connections to each other grow County drivers not those drivers from away who refuse to 8 WINTER 2016