(Not So) Simple Pleasures

In the process of counting my blessings there are so many things I may take for granted simply because I am so used to them that they hardly feel like blessings, and although I am not a huge history buff there are several fairly common things I am quite certain that I take for granted in light of the fact that even 100 years ago these things either did not really exist or were in very short supply, such as....

-toilet paper (where would we be without it?!!!)
-tissues (my personal ball and chain)
-paper products in general... (although paper work is not necessarily something I count among my blessings)
-clean sheets on a comfortable mattress without straw or bed bugs
-indoor plumbing
-water heater attached to indoor plumbing
-electricity
-double pane windows
-washer and dryer (again laundry isn't exactly a blessing I am counting, but it would be much, much worse if I had to wash it in the creek and dry it on the bushes!!)
-grocery stores that sell fresh fruit and vegetables year round
-automobiles
-paved roads
-telephones
-computers
-easy access to the medical community (although the medical community in general often makes me feel like we are the victims of a conspiracy theory, and I won't even get started on medical insurance companies!!!)
-freezers
-refrigerators (why is fridge spelled with a "d", but refrigerators isn't?)
-electric sewing machines
-the millions of easy access online stores and local stores that eliminate any need for at-home sewing (I do still like to sew, but I am glad that I don't have to make all the clothes for this family of 7 going on 8)
-disposable diapers (I am sorry for the negative impact on the environment, and I am delighted to see some more biodegradable choices starting to come out, I used cloth diapers for one week when I had three babies still in diapers... whew!)( I do actually love hanging clothes out on a clothesline, but glad I do not have to rely on it entirely)
-chain saws (it is an incredible amount of work heating a house with wood even with a chain saw, I can't even imagine how hard it would be on my man to stock up a winter's woodpile with nothing but hand saws and axes as tools)
-aluminum foil and plastic baggies ( when these things came out the housewives treasured their new found good fortune and would carefully wash, dry, and reuse these valuable commodities... many still do, they are part of the original recycling conscious generation, "waste not, want not")


I don't really know what life was like even just 100 years ago. I have enjoyed discussions with my 95 year old grandmother and her colorful depiction of her childhood is shared with obvious nostalgia, memories of pony rides and apple picking, dairy cows and canning, lots of close family, pleasure in work, extreme excitement at the sight of the first vehicle ever to drive by their home (driven by the mail man at a whopping 20 mph!), one room school houses and daily walks to and fro. The older generation enjoys and has become dependent on many of the conveniences we now take for granted, and I don't honestly know if I could survive the "once upon a time", or even if I would want to try. I am grateful to be living in the here and now, but I do want reflect on the past joys and historical accomplishments (Wonder who invented toilet paper and tissues?), and I want to learn from the many who have come and gone before us.