Recalling the 70s

[Happy Birthday to son Michael, who barely missed the 70s.]

The 70s, to borrow from Dickens, was the best of times and the worst of times.

It was a low point for the country ... The Vietnam War was a lost cause by this time, Watergate was a three-ring circus, inflation and interest rates were sky high, the Iran hostage crisis was demoralizing, and President Carter officially declared we were suffering from malaise. The guy may have been right, but he didn't need to verbalize it!

If you doubt the darkness of the 70s, consider this: the Cardinal baseball team was 0 for 10 in the decade, though they were in three World Series in the 60's and would be in three more in the 80'. I think the term "bummer" was coined in the 60's, but it truly fit the 70's.

However ...

... on a personal note, it was entirely different.

More good things happened in the 70s than in any decade of my life. I obtained my drivers' license, graduated from high school, successfully navigated through college, raised my commitment level to God, dated and married a cutie named Kim, started a family, acquired my first business suit, landed a good job, bought my first new car, and generally kept moving forward. Most of my basketball career occurred in this decade. The music was good, and my taste in CDs still runs back to the 70s.

So Dickens was right. You can often experience great times in the face of unfavorable circumstances.