And Tomorrow Ain't As Bad As It Seems

I've been thinking a lot lately about the concept of "the good ole days." Was the time a few years ago (or whenever your "good ole days" were) really all that good, or was it just good compared to now? Are things that bad now that we choose to look at the past in a more positive light? Or were we just to naive to realize how bad things were back then? Do we consciously — or unconsciously — choose to look at the past through rose-colored glasses? Or, is there just an inherent sense of nostalgia in all of us.

For example, as exciting as the Sox winning the World Series last year was, how many folks thought the 2004 win was even better? When work turns sour, did it all of a sudden become worse or was it always that way? Is the first movie in a series really that much better than the sequel(s)? If a band reunites, are they really worse now or were they always bad? Was freshman year of college really more fun than senior year? (Okay, maybe that last one isn't as good an example.)

This is just something I've had on my mind recently. I'll open it up to you: what do you think? Were things really better a few years ago?