If you could time travel, which way would you go – forward or backward? This year, I’ve felt like I’ve been traveling forward much faster than usual. It was a big and busy year, both with work and family. We started the year being involved with Fuel Up to Play 60 at the NFL Experience during the Super Bowl festivities. We also helped to host a national Fuel Up to Play 60 forum soon after that. Then toss in two college graduations, a first-ever family reunion, a conference in Denver, the Year of Dairy Cows at the State Fair, and a daughter’s wedding. My Mom always said the older you get, the faster time goes, and I certainly see what she meant! So, I think, in an attempt to put on the brakes, I’ll opt for traveling backward.
I’m not sure how far back I would travel, but I don’t think I’d care to go back before certain discoveries were made. For instance, I’m not too fond of pain, so I wouldn’t want to go back before buffered aspirin was available around 1853. Then, even smart people, like surgeons, were unaware that (a) germs existed and (b) that they could cause diseases. Imagine being present when it was discovered that washing your hands would have a huge impact on death rates! Food safety is also a plus in my book, so I wouldn’t want to travel back before Louis Pasteur patented the process to make milk safe! Originally discovered during the 1860’s in response to problems in the wine industry, the pasteurization of dairy products didn’t get started until the mid-to-late 1880’s. So it doesn’t look like I’m going to be travelling too far back!
I think I could deal with a day during the 1920’s, probably in Chicago. I think I’d want to be in a big city to capture all that I could in 24 hours. Buildings that are now landmarks, such as Shedd Aquarium, would just be getting underway. But dining and shopping in the city would still be quite an experience. I was always fond of the flapper dresses when I was little. I wonder if a klutzy dame could learn to do the Charleston in 24 hours?
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