I Used to be Cool

[Weedygarden]

I saw a bumper sticker yesterday that said exactly that, "I Used to be Cool." I laughed out loud and tried to get a photo of it, but traffic was moving too fast for me to do that.

Later, I thought maybe there is a website or some campaign for that bumper sticker. Yes! There is.
https://iusedtobecool.com/
While I am not promoting this website or even this campaign, it made me think about life, our lives, and thought about what we have been through. What has changed us? Who were we, and who are we now?

I used to be too thin, and very busy with making a living and supporting myself and my family. I had a period of time during college of loving to go to bars, listen to music and dance. I never could drink much because it made me sick. College days were the best days of my life, and when I was a young adult, living in an apartment with a couple roommates. Part of what made me cool was sewing most of my own clothing, sometimes even designing clothing for myself and having complete strangers stop me and ask me where I bought this or that.

But really, I am not sure that I was that cool. How about you? How were you cool?

 

[Magus]

I was NEVER cool, I was always ahead of the curve however.
being "cool" means accepted sheep in my book.

 

[Pearl]

I don't know if I was ever cool, but I got along with everyone! The athletes, the brains, the partiers, both genders ( we only had two when I grew up)! I could fit in anywhere! Looking back, I'm glad for that!!

 

[Amish Heart]

I grew up outside of San Francisco in the bay area. Used to be more of a hippy. Natural food, hung out at the beach, long hair, long skirts and barefoot. Don't know if that was cool. I didn't care. I did what I wanted.

 

[Double R]

I was never cool. I was in Ag. Dressed in wranglers which was “out of style”. Horses were my life. I was engaged in high school. No one at school believed it was a real ring or a real man except those that knew us both. Got married young. Moved on with building our dream. None of that was cool. Wouldn’t change a thing

 

[Neb]

Aside from throwing under age keggers in the woods...

The closest I ever got to being cool is hardly cool. I was one of the nerdiest nerds in an obscure version of software used by engineers and scientists (LabVIEW). But a cool nerd is an oxymoron.

The Princess came with me to a convention in Austin where she explored the city while I attended seminars during the day. We were eating a steak at an outside table one evening when she gestured toward a group on the other side of the street and she asked "What about them?" I answered "That is Jim an Michael and...".

After returning home she was asked what it was like. She replied...

It was like waking up in the middle of a dork forest.



Ben

 

[Weedygarden]

I was NEVER cool, I was always ahead of the curve however.
being "cool" means accepted sheep in my book.

I think that it is not about acceptance from others, but more of doing what we enjoyed. Some people like to party. Some people like to create. Some people like to explore. Some people are social. I think we are all cool in OUR own way, not as judged by the world.

 

[Amish Heart]

Yes we are

 

[Magus]

I never was in any one crowd, the crowds I ran with everyone hated, we hated everyone right back.
I never hung out with any one group much, the nerds, the metal heads, stoners and goth kids mostly.
None of them got along so mostly if you went looking for me, I'd be in the smoking area, library or at the
"Loser's tree" telling dirty jokes to the retards and other misfits and smoking leftys. LOL I used to be able
to quote every Robin Williams and George Carlin line my heart.

 

[UrbanHunter]

I was never really cool, but I was often used a an example. A bad example that is..... See that guy, don't do that....

I was always too busy working to ever get into any real mischief. That and I was always lucky enough to not be in the area when things went south.

I did get expelled because of a tee shirt that my mom made for me, She actually made me 2, one red and one blue the both had printing on them that looked like stripes from a distance, the text sort of read "Bull Shirt", but shirt was missing an "r". Yep getting suspended right there in front of everyone in my class, that was kinda cool.....

 

[phideaux]

I'll not talk about how I was cool, and are




Now that's cool.

Jim

 

[dademoss]

Never was cool, never will be, just the guy that got [redacted] done.

 

[rice paddy daddy]

After the war, I grew long hair, beard, wore bell bottom jeans and T-shirts, and just dropped out of society.
Society didn't want my kind anyway. To hell with them.

Was I cool? I don't really know.
Now, I'm old and square. Very square. Not cool at all.

 

[Magus]

No dude, you're one of the cooler ones up in here!

 

[Bacpacker]

Never considered myself cool. Got along with some, not with others. Never really cared much one way or the other. I grew up mostly with adults, many elderly. Sis didn't come along until I was 6, we got along just fine, still do. But we never had much in common until we got older. There wasn't many kids that lived nearby.

 

[Spikedriver]

Back in the day, I tried to be cool. I really tried. But I was a poor athlete trying to hang with jocks. Then I was a country boy in a college town. Maybe I was kind of cool in my late 20s, but I was so drunk all the time that I'm pretty sure any coolness I had got drowned out by the booze.

Now I'm a 49 year old guy with a teenage kid, a blue SUV, and weird taste in music. But I could not care less now.

 

[Kelsey96]

I was never the cool person I was always a loner I had one friend I stuck with through school and then never became much after school but im cool in my own way haha just like I think everyone is cool and awesome in there own ways we all have our own talents and skills we use ❤

 

[viking]

Cars and trucks were cool, loved working on big powerful engines and going to the drag races. It was cool to work at a friends teen night club and listen to rock bands that played there, truth is I never considered myself to be cool and when I look back on my heavier drinking days, I know that I was not cool at all.

 

[Morgan101]

I guess I was cool enough. Much like Pearl, I was friendly with everybody. I guess in High School I was a jock, but I always got good grades, and participated in other activities. In college we found our own niche. The school was so big there was no delineation between cool and uncool.

 

[Plainflatlander]

Never was cool, more a book smart nerd. Introverted as well, now I dont stop talking.

 

[DrJenner]

I don’t think I was cool growing up. My parents didn’t have money and I went to a private school for high school full of rich kids (we lived in a bad part of town in Sacramento and my parents didn’t want me to go to the local high school).
thank goodness the grunge style was in during that time and I could buy flannels and jeans at goodwill. I mostly hung out with the guys, had a few good girlfriends. I was a chick jock and played 4 sports and also a band geek. Tried to get involved as much as I could. Had a lot of friends but on the cool spectrum I was probably in the middle. I was a solid A- /B+ student.
Of course now at 44 - I could care less!

 

[phideaux]

I have grandkids , 3 boys , 3 girls , oldest is 20 , in college,one is 19 in college, youngest is 15 .
I have told and still tell them...
enjoy your HS years , as they are all COOL, prom and homecoming queens and superjocks in basketball and other sports. They're the ones the whole school knows well. Very popular. Fantasy world .

Because...as soon as you graduate ...your forgotten...it was fun but the hero status is over.

The 2 that have graduated HS...tell me ....it don't mean anything now , only work and study matters . No fantasy life anymore. Real world.

In my eyes they're all "COOL".

Me??

Let me tell ya . I was the basketball jock in HS . Dated every girl in the school.
Is that cool..meh. I don't know.

I graduated in Jan (late due to low grades). Met a beautiful , awesome redhead, in April , she was all I could think of . She hated me. I was obnoxious she said. Finally tricked her into a blind date. I had died and gone to heaven , in love.

We married September,10th at noon.

October, 5 weeks after wedding, I got my draft notice. November , I was gone. Didn't see her again for almost 2 years . Went to war a stupid young boy. She waited for me , not knowing if I was even still alive. Came home a very different , troubled deeply, grown up man. I don't even know why, how, she stayed with me.

My story....maybe , maybe cool in HS. Never had a chance or a need to be cool after that.
Btw that beautiful redhead is white headed now ...and honestly...I love her even more today than 56 years ago.

I do know what COOL is thru my grandkids.

Sorry I got so long...just memories , and love my wife and grandkids.

I'm a fortunate , blessed man.

Jim

 

[ClemKadiddlehopper]

I never got close enough to even see or know, what cool was or did. Still nothing to see here.

 

[viking]

I have grandkids , 3 boys , 3 girls , oldest is 20 , in college,one is 19 in college, youngest is 15 .
I have told and still tell them...
enjoy your HS years , as they are all COOL, prom and homecoming queens and superjocks in basketball and other sports. They're the ones the whole school knows well. Very popular. Fantasy world .

Because...as soon as you graduate ...your forgotten...it was fun but the hero status is over.

The 2 that have graduated HS...tell me ....it don't mean anything now , only work and study matters . No fantasy life anymore. Real world.

In my eyes they're all "COOL".

Me??

Let me tell ya . I was the basketball jock in HS . Dated every girl in the school.
Is that cool..meh. I don't know.

I graduated in Jan (late due to low grades). Met a beautiful , awesome redhead, in April , she was all I could think of . She hated me. I was obnoxious she said. Finally tricked her into a blind date. I had died and gone to heaven , in love.

We married September,10th at noon.

October, 5 weeks after wedding, I got my draft notice. November , I was gone. Didn't see her again for almost 2 years . Went to war a stupid young boy. She waited for me , not knowing if I was even still alive. Came home a very different , troubled deeply, grown up man. I don't even know why, how, she stayed with me.

My story....maybe , maybe cool in HS. Never had a chance or a need to be cool after that.
Btw that beautiful redhead is white headed now ...and honestly...I love her even more today than 56 years ago.

I do know what COOL is thru my grandkids.

Sorry I got so long...just memories , and love my wife and grandkids.

I'm a fortunate , blessed man.

Jim

Having the love you have is the coolest you could ever be, hands down!!!

 

[kd4ulw]

Me looking at all the cool kids

Seriously, never really ’cool’, but wouldn’t change a thing. I’ve always tried to be the kind of friend that someone needs and that’s worked out well over the years.

 

[Neb]

Me looking at all the cool kids

View attachment 84253
Seriously, never really ’cool’, but wouldn’t change a thing. I’ve always tried to be the kind of friend that someone needs and that’s worked out well over the years.

If they want it or not!

Ben