This is in response to This Week’s Writer’s Workshop Prompts – July 9, 2026, hosted by John Holton.
I chose option #6: What is something that the past did better than the present day?
The past understood how to slow a day down. Not because life was simple, but because people weren’t pulled in ten directions at once. You could sit on a porch and let the world settle around you. Conversations stretched without anyone checking a screen. Even errands carried a gentle rhythm. The bank teller knew your name. The grocery clerk asked about your mother. Nothing felt rushed.
Community felt different too. Neighbors showed up. Someone always had a spare cup of sugar or a story that made you laugh until your ribs hurt. Connection didn’t need planning. It was part of the day.
The present offers plenty of conveniences, and I’m grateful for them. Yet I miss when ordinary moments felt like they were yours. A quiet that settled. An ease that stayed. Time that didn’t run ahead of you.
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4 comments
This really resonates with me, Kymber. If possible, I would pop directly back to 1980, 0ne year out of HS and do it all over again with a few alterations. I miss the days before the internet, cell phones and all of the nutty technology. Boomer I am.
I feel you, John. I miss that time, too, for sure.
That is so true! In small towns, like Taos, where I used to live, there is still a bit of that tranquility left.
Taos sounds lovely! I would love to visit there one day.