Saturday, November 21, 2009

A Simpler But Harder Time

My day generally begins when I get up at 5:45 AM. I get up,have a cup of coffee,make sure that Zach gets ready for school ( "Did you comb your hair? Did you brush your teeth?")and look over the morning paper. Granted,I only read what interests me,but I look it all over nonetheless.Once Zach is on the school bus and the animals get fed, I pop on the computer. I check and respond to emails,go on Facebook,and read my favorite blogs.If I am inspired,I post in my own blog. If our Scout troop website needs updating,I do it.

Then I actually start my day.That is usually around 9:00 AM.

9:00 AM? Hello? The day is already half over for most people!

I just got off one of my newly discovered favorite blogs,"Beyond Little House," and I find myself thinking of how lazy I would seem to the Ingalls family and those who lived in that time.

The day began at o-dark-thirty. Each morning,with no alarm clocks.The men and boys would take care of the animals while the women and girls started breakfast.Then,depending on the time of year,the men would be outside all day long,tending to the crops and assorted farm work. No tractors,no trucks. It was their hard work,sweat,determination,and horse and plow. The women would work all day long doing housework,cooking,sewing,making yarn,soap,and whatever else their families needed. There was no time for these families to sit for a couple of hours on the computer in the morning,or watch a TV show. Each moment of the day was precious. Each member had a vital part in the running of the home and the survival of the family.No wonder they went to bed when it got dark. They were exhausted!

Looking back,it does seem like a more simpler time. There were less distractions. No computers,TV,cell phones,I-Pods,or cars.People were not rushing here or there. The center of their lives was their family and home. Period.

However simpler it might have been,however,it was much more difficult. People worked most of the time,with the exception of Sunday.They did have some time for relaxation,but that was usually at the end of the day. For example, people would not usually stop plowing a field in the middle of the day to do something frivolous. That would set back the time frame for planting. The garden needed to get done,otherwise the family might have enough to eat for the year.Work came first and foremost.

Life was not easy,yet I suspect that they wouldn't have traded it for our lives now. I bet a couple of modern conveniences might be popular,but I can't see them deviating from their basic lifestyle. They would consider the materialism in our society a waste and unnecessary,which it is.

So... it's 9:00 and I am still in my Frosty the Snowman PJs,my toast eaten, my coffee getting cold,and I am somewhat ashamed.I need to get my butt in gear,shower,and get my crock pot beans going.Thank goodness it's not 1880,because I would be hours behind schedule.

2 comments:

  1. Great post! Do you have a link to the blog you mentioned please, there were lots of links when I googled, thank you

    ReplyDelete
  2. I think about things like this quite a bit. Usually just before I roll over in bed to try to get 5 more minutes of sleep before getting up!

    ReplyDelete