This is for all the kids who survived the 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. The recollections are not original with me, but they struck home when I spotted them in a column written by Gary Rust of Cape Girardeau, Mo. Gary didn't say, but I'm guessing he picked the story up from the Internet. OK, here goes. Do these remembrances strike a chord with you, too?

First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they were pregnant. They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing and tuna from a can and didn't get tested for diabetes.

Then, after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered with bright colored lead-based paints.

We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes we had no helmets, not to mention the risks we took hitchhiking.

As infants and children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, booster seats, seat belts or air bags. Riding in the back of a pickup on a warm day was always a special treat.

We drank water from the garden hose and not from a bottle.

We shared one soft drink with four friends from one bottle, and no one died from the experience.

We ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank Kool-Aid made with sugar, but we weren't overweight because we were always outside playing. We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on.

No one was able to reach us all day. And we were okay.

We would spend hours making our go-carts out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.

We did not have PlayStations or Nintendos. No video games at all, no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVDs, no surround-sound or CDs, no cell phones, personal computers, no Internet or chat rooms. We had friends and we went outside and found them. We fell out of trees, got cut and broke bones and teeth, and there were no lawsuits from these accidents.

We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever.

We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls and although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes.

We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them. Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that. The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law.

These generations have produced some of the best risktakers, problem solvers and inventors ever. The past 50 years have seen an explosion of innovation and new ideas.

We have freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned how to deal with it all.

If you are one of 20th Century survivors: Congratulations!

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My various jobs

Here's another little ditty, taken from "Fun on the Internet." It deals with one person's difficulty in finding and holding a job. True? I can't vouch for that, but it does make for a punny story.

My first job was working in an orange juice factory, but I got canned. Couldn't concentrate.

Then I worked in the woods as a lumberjack, but I couldn't hack it, so they gave me the ax.

After that I tried to be a tailor, but I just wasn't suited for it, mainly because it was a sew-sew job.

Next I tried working in a muffler factory, but that was too exhausting.

Then I tried to be a chef. Figured it would add a little spice to my life, but I just didn't have the thyme.

I attempted to be a deli worker, but any way I sliced it I couldn't cut the mustard.

My best job was being a musician, but eventually I found I wasn't noteworthy.

I studied a long time to be a doctor, but I didn't have any patients.

Next was a job in a shoe factory. I tried. But I just didn't fit in.

I became a professional fisherman but discovered I couldn't live on my net income.

I managed to get a good job working for a pool maintenance company, but the work was just too draining.

So then I got a job in a workout center, but they said I wasn't fit for the job.

After many years of trying to find steady work, I finally got a job as a historian until I realized there was no future in it.

My last job was working at Starbucks, but I had to quit because it was the same old grind.

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OK, OK. I agree that's enough. But keep those cards and letters coming. I'll be sharing more gems of wisdom (?) in weeks to come.