Modern Comforts

Today, I was thinking about how happy I am to be living in the 21st century. Now, I used to think that I wanted to go back in time because I wanted to ride horses everywhere- but the reality is, that's a bad idea. First of all, it seems as though women that lived in the "wild west" were either bar maids and prostitutes, or having a baby every year and slaving over a pot bellied stove. Neither of those options really appeal to me. Add on top of that the lack of antibiotics, indoor plumbing, air conditioning and deodorant, and you've got yourself an unpleasant situation. Personally speaking, if it weren't for antibiotics, I would have died a long time ago from a staph infection so I am pro-medicine. Hurray for Penicillin. Anyway, who wants to deal with general lawlessness, lynchings, and a town run by men wielding a beer in one hand and a gun in the other? I'll pass. So there went the "wild west" idea.
So back to living in the 21st century. Today, I had my whole day planned out and this morning I wanted to take my dog to the park. I put all my dishes in the dishwasher and all my clothes in the dryer (without really thinking much about it). But, as I was leaving my house I could hear my washer sloshing around and my clothes tumbling in the dryer. I paused and thought, how cool is it that these machines are doing all this work and I get to take my dog and go to the park, avoiding all of it? I knew when I got back that my dishes would be squeaky clean and dry, and my clothes would be ready to go. And you know, it may be that we're all losing touch with reality because of the fact that we don't really have to do anything anymore, but I don't regret having the extra time in my day. I have lived without a dishwasher and a dryer, and I never enjoyed doing those things. It never brought me a sense of organic connection to life. So, cheers to the dishwashers and dryers of the world, slaving away so we don't have to! and cheers to not having to be a bar maid.