Memories and Showers

I just commented on my eldest daughter's blog. There had been a reference to being a hippie, and I was reminded of a complaint I have. Today, when a ratty haired, jeans wearing, smelly, young person walks down the street, besides jaywalking to avoid the specimen, many people classify him or her as a hippie. Just when did that become the categorization of "I'm too lazy to shower or comb my hair"? When I was young (yeesh, I am my parents), going braless, growing hair long, and sporting badly patched jeans all went with a political, or possibly an apolitical, world view. And even when we stayed the night in some old trailer with a bunch of ski patrol members, everybody showered. Hippie had a lot to do with freedom, but not necessarily freedom from personal hygiene. I still have beads, for god's sake. I refuse to let current day, so called hippies defile my memories. So there.