Back in the Day, We Didn’t Use A/C the Way We Do Now

My daughter is always asking me about stuff that happened back in the day.

Back in the day, I walked to school even though it was 1.9 miles away.

Even in elementary school, I walked to and from school. No one worried about my safety, least of all me. Back in the day,we didn’t use a/c the way we do now, either. I had an aunt and uncle who did not even have air conditioning in their house! That seems preposterous, but it is true. Aunt Bet used to have to rely on box fans and ceiling fans. She did not seem to be bothered that there was no a/c, but she did love to come to our house, where my mom had the a/c thermostat set on 72 all the time. We did not grow up with much money; my dad died unexpectedly at 40 years old, and there were six of us kids. I was ten years old, and my oldest brother was 14, so all the rest were in-between those ages. Even so, we had air conditioning. I can remember how it was often hard for my mother to get the water bill and electric bill paid on time many months, but we still were not one of those people who did not use a/c. There was no strict rule about it, but I don’t think any of us kids ever thought about touching the thermostat. I don’t remember ever giving it a second thought, but looking back, IK realize we were fortunate despite the fact that we were not the richest folks in town. Somehow, my mom did amazing things, including keeping us all fed, buying her own house, and using air conditioning when not everyone took that for granted.

 

a/c workman