The Romantics of 'Yester Year'

I've often said that I was born in the wrong decade. Usually this comment refers to the fashion of previous decades. The hats of the 1920-40s, the gloves, the dresses. The hand-bags, the wraps, the jewelry, the shoes... awh I love it! Everything was an "outfit" and accessories were included (and maximized)! My favorite thing about this era of fashion is how feminine clothing was! The designers of these decades understood how to dress a woman's figure better than ever. They knew how to accentuate and still leave plenty to the imagination. Nothing was appallingly revealing and every figure looked good in the lines of their patterns!

(For good fashion examples I would recommend: Singing in the Rain, Thoroughly Modern Milly, The Legend of Bagger Vance...that's a pretty good start... or click here and check out the decade patterns!)

But it is more than the fashion that is so appealing. It's something about the pace and the simplicity. They worked just as hard and but they took more time off. When work was finished they went home and spent long evenings on the porch where it was cooler and you could feel the breeze. If you didn't have a porch you borrowed a neighbors! Weekends were for community events, fishing, picnics, family. The sense of community was stronger then. Times of war and hardship meant (in part) community prayers, food drives, aluminum drives, tire drives, participation in the American Red Cross and other organizations; anything to contribute to those defending people's liberties. In times of peace and plenty--bake sales, county fairs, street markets/grocers, community center events, community parades, community traditions, and holidays...

Often, I wish for these romantics of the good ol' days. But I wonder...would I really trade it? For all that once was good, would I trade what I have now? Maybe... if I could take the World's Most Amazing Husband (Brendan) and my beautiful children... would I really trade the opportunities that have come through the years? Opportunities for voting, education, health care... probably not...

So what is it? These 'Romantics of Yester Year'? Why do we long for them? What can we bring forward from them? How do we maintain the things that were once so good and so sweet, in a rapidly changing world for technology, commerce, and political relations of all kind? How do we permeate the sense of community, the participation in the community? The weekend picnics and time with family rather than the chance to get ahead at the office? Is getting behind, or ahead, a legit excuse to forgo those opportunities with family and neighbors? How/why did we forget these romantics? Are they really not worth fighting for?