Once upon a time

Meaning of "once upon a time" in English
once upon a time
idiom

beginning of children's stories to mean "a long time ago":
Once upon a time there was an ugly duckling
.
happened in the past, especially when showing that you feel sorry that it no longer happens:
Once upon a time people knew the difference between right and wrong, but nowadays nobody seems to care.

It's a very common expression and it's often used at the beginning of fables or children's stories. I particularly like the second definition entry. It is reminiscent of "Once upon a time there was an ogre," or "Once upon a time in a land far, far, away, there lived a fairy prince..." (Hey, it's MY story. If I want the fairy to be a prince, so be it)!

I think about this construct as I push towards the Medicare age in my life because I share my space with a 20-something gay man from Stanislaus County. Culturally, we are like Patty and Cathy Lane (you know, from the Patty Duke Show) and when I think of some of the things that he does and thinks, I know that he is desperate to ask me if I did or thought these same things. This is where context comes into play. I tell him that when I was his age, there were no cell phones, people carried cash (and lots of change of pay phones), there was no Internet, there was no cable, but there was a tad bit of shame about not having a color TV in the house.

I also told him that all of my underwear was white and that I only bought 100% cotton (even though polyester blends were the norm). The only polyester 'garment' that I have ever owned (and still have) are two student nursing uniforms (XL!) that are in the closet. I once wore it to work for Halloween (a day I do not celebrate) and when people asked what I was dressed as, I said, "Student Nurse Polly Esther."

But i did tell him that there were similarities in context that were understandable. I struggled with my weight in a culture and subculture that is driven by body image. I lived an on-again/off-again mostly vegetarian life and I also tried vegan living for a year. At the time I was living with someone and she was faintly curious about it, but quickly dismissed it because I had explained that (a) it requires planning, (b) it requires preparation, (c) you don't have options not to eat what you have made because you don't "feel like tofu", and probably other things for (d), (e), and (f). I had music in my life and I still cling to my vinyls.

Before email there were letters and post cards. I still write post cards whenever I'm two counties or more away from the homestead (although they go to fewer people). I keep an address book in my knapsack and always have first class and postage stamps on hand.

One thing that I STILL find strange about the 20-something lad in my home is that he doesn't drink coffee or tea. I see things in the house that look like soda although I'm never quite sure about what they are. Power drinks? Electrolytic supplements? My day begins with both drinks and i have an assortment of hot black tea on the kitchen counter. It's one of the few indulgences that I treat myself to and I opt for the flavor that "I feel like" in the moment.

I do complement some of my cooking with things that are frozen or canned. I have been known to add tomato sauce to dishes or use a bit of flavored beans to a dish of my own organic beans to add a small amount of the sauce that I don't make on my own. Yes, I would love to have fresh beans, or peas, or broccoli, but they are very convenient when they are packaged in a freezer bag and the body seems none the worse for wear.

Oddly, he has taken toe bringing in Ramen. He did ask if I had ever had it and I told him that I recall when they first appeared on the shelves in the late 70s. I told him that they tasted like a mouthful of the Atlantic Ocean to me and that they were not my RADAR for future consumption.