Fri-22-Aug-2008 - Conveniences
I’m not here to argue about if you should use electricity or keep a gas-powered mower. What I do what to do it look at the many, numerous, taken-for-granted conveniences in our lives and how we use them.
Now, I don’t have a microwave. For some, it’s a life-line that makes life easier and everything more convenient. For me, there is simplicity in using only my stove that might totally stress other people out!
I remember working for a widow before Samuel was in my womb. She let me barrow books, and one of them was “The Family No One Wanted”. It was the story of this couple who couldn’t have children and adopted a lovely dozen of all different shades of brown. In the time era it was practically unheard of to adopt a different skin shade, hence the ‘family no one wanted’.
This family eventually came to the attention of Reader’s Digest and the magazine decided to bring this family into the 20th century by hooking up the house with all kinds of appliances. A dishwasher, a laundry machine, a dryer, a microwave. I don’t recall but they may have had to hook the house up to electricity as well!
One thing that stands vividly in my mind was the mother’s response to her new “conveniences”. She was so happy, she exclaimed that with all the time saved she could easily have twice as many children!
Unlike the mom I read about, most of us don’t do laundry by hand. Most of us take for granted wall-to-wall carpeting and the electric thing that cleans known as a vacuum. When we don’t go somewhere, our vehicle sits quietly in the driveway. We don’t have to muck out a stall, or feed and water our car or van twice a day.
We are very blessed by conveniences. What do we do with our time? Something worthwhile? Something that will benefit others?
Is our extra time eaten up by the pursuit of more money? Do we spend the time we save when we turn a knob instead of hauling buckets of water from a distance on the computer or watching TV? To cook breakfast I don’t have to haul wood to my stove. I’m not raising my own cotton for clothing and tending sheep for wool.
What am I doing with my extra time?
We have more labor saving devices than ever before. Libraries are at our fingertips with the aid of a computer. We can “chat” without lifting the phone or picking up a pen and thinking too deeply about what to say.
I just think about this sometimes and think about the responsibility I have to use my time wisely. Children will always take work, but I really can’t complain. I don’t have to do my dishes by hand and throw the dishwater out the back door. I don’t empty the bathtub water with a bucket! I can go to Goodwill and buy clothing for $2 unless I want to make it. I live in a much larger house than would have been normal a hundred years ago, climate-controlled as well with the touch of a button . . . .
We tell ourselves that if I just had more time I would read my Bible more. I’d take time to pray. I’d spend more time with my children. I’d learn to make candles like I’ve always dreamed of.
We have the same amount of time, a 24 hour a day that our ancestors had. Frankly I think they did more with their time - they had so much more to do!
The question remains - are we doing something worthwhile with our time?
Just some more food for thought. 
~Ashley~
[All images from allposters.com]
Comments
Fri-22-Aug-2008 - Untitled Comment
Posted by gabbie427
Wow! Good post Ashley!!! We are completely spoiled now a days!!! Appliances galore in the kitchen, vacuum cleaners, washers and dryers, and some grocery stores deliver now!!! Amazing. My grandmother had a refrigerator and a stove, a coffee pot (old perculator kind) and a toaster, and that was about it. And we LOVED spending time with her cooking and baking and eating her concotions!!!
I do strive for a simplier life, and for me, that does mean a dishwasher, so I don't have to stand for hours doing dishes and putting a strain on my lower back. It also means a washer and dryer most of the time, so I can spend more time with my little one and hubby. But, some of the things people are buying for conveniences are crazy!!! How about the vacuum that runs on it's on, the Zoomba??? LOL It takes me 10 minutes to sweep the three carpeted rooms we have downstairs. LOL It would take me too long to read the book to run that crazy thing. LOL
God's Blessings,
Amy Jo
Sat-23-Aug-2008 - Untitled Comment
Posted by HandsNHearts
Amen.
I agree....although I do use my electricity and have a microwave (sad thing is, it's mainly kept around for the loan bag of popcorn now and then and the clock on it...).
I love your comment about how our generations previous had the same 24 hours we have...yet look at all they accomplished? The provided all their food needs...we go to the store or farm stand. They build up their homes and farms from the dirt up...we contract out most of our building needs, buy our wood already done up in the manner we need it while they were cutting trees and such.
I'm ashamed to admit that I have truly wasted much of my 24 hour allotment, despite the 'conveniences' that sit in my house....like this machine here :o(
Most definitely food for thought! Thank you!
Deanna
Mon-25-Aug-2008 - Time
Posted by CountryPastures
Your blogging on how we use our time was great! I believe you are so right. I know I complain about having" not enough time", but I do. If I were to add up all the time I spent at this puter of mine~~ I'd have lots more! lol
God Bless, Sheila
Tue-26-Aug-2008 - Excellent food for thought
Posted by MissBee
and along the same lines of what I was thinking about this morning. (sowing to the flesh or to the Spirit?) We have all this time but what are we doing with it? We are certainly not as diligent as our Grandmothers/Great-Grandmothers were.
Thank you for sharing -
Tue-26-Aug-2008 - As it so happens...
Posted by Terry, Ornament of His Grace
I'm spending my few extra minutes today catching up with you via the internet, of course. And I do have a load of towels in the dryer that I should be folding so I'd better get to it. Thanks for the reminder.
Tue-26-Aug-2008 - http://vivalahomegirl.blogspot.com/
Posted by Catherine R.
I would like to enlarge these pictures and frame them around my home. I love this type of art : ]
And thanks for the award, I will display it shamelessly.
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