Out With the Old…Then what?
Blame it on Covid, which some may say is “the straw that broke the camel’s back”, but long before, the writing is already on the wall for old ways, old stuff, old games, old toys, old habits…the old has to give way to the new, or die away in obscurity.
It hit me hard last week. An image of old muppet toys popped up for sale on Carousel and I couldn’t get it out of my mind. Within days, I went into mega shopping mode and bought back some of my old memories – stuff I grew up with, cherished; stuff that only the old-er people recognized and cared about.
As the online shopping bug bites, one doesn’t quite stop once started…
Next came the Muppets…
How Can I resist adding the Muppets to the growing collection…
Then came Alfred E. Neuman who brought me much joy and laughter…
There’s something about iconic pairings…
How can I ever forget another unlikely duo from Peanuts
I need to stop looking at Carousel for now.
Then came the news that Robinsons is putting up the shutters for good. No, this cannot be, but it is real news and it is happening. The Robinsons my generation and many others before me grew up with…the Robinsons we go to for an outfit to grace a special occasion ( old speak – prom night, etc )…the Robinsons that has aunties and uncles who has worked there their entire life, greeting you with their warm smiles and helpful service, lending a human touch to the entire shopping experience. It will be gone and quickly forgotten by the generations after me.
So I’ve been guilty of contributing to Robinsons’ demise as well. I can’t recall when was the last time I went there or did any retail therapy on site anywhere except with my fingers while looking at a white screen. So the hordes of people now flocking to Robinsons for a last lingering look and purchase, are they also feeling that same sense of loss of something that was once a part of their identity, their generation, their values and life experience?
Suddenly I’m feeling something akin to grief. I am missing the good ole days when life was simple and straight-forward. When we can trust what our educators, newspapers and even our politicians were telling us. When we were not getting information overload and not too concerned with body image, skin colour, race, social markers. When I could actually have a long-distance with my boyfriend ( now my spouse of more than 30 years ) and the postman ringing my doorbell was the best thing that ever happened on that day.
So information technology, the internet, social media has invaded our lives and are here to stay – for good. What about the old? I think about my email moniker ” luvoldthings” and for the first time ever, it’s beginning to make sense.
If things, fashion, ways of engaging are changing over time, where the new is favoured over the old, what about old people? What about old values? What about memories? What about faith, goodness and truth?
I start again and reset, which is what Covid does to many of us. I begin with turning back the clock and removing the cobwebs which had gathered over the old things, tidying them up, organising them and putting back where they used to belong, in a prominent part of my heart and soul. By starting again to put a new value on old things, once forgotten, but for a season, now revived.
I am also hoping that the story of Robinsons and its demise will send a strong signal for fewer designated clone-like malls and more greenery, parks, family-friendly spaces and please leave the pieces of old Singapore alone!
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