My son asked me today what blood is made of. Of course, I didn’t know the answer so I did what I always do. I went to consult the great wizard known as google. In case you’re curious, the answer is plasma, red and white blood cells, and platelets. But as I went to find the answer, I thought about how if I had needed to know that answer when I was a kid, I would have had to get someone to take me to the library so I could consult an encyclopedia. Boy, have times changed, and it’s amazing how many time saving tools we have available today. These gifts are not just limited to information gathering. We have modernized and improved every aspect of our world right?
So that got me thinking about the things I now have available to make my world improved.
After I got divorced I lived in a 560 sq. ft. apartment. Now I live in a 4K plus sq. ft. home. Of course it used to take me about 45 minutes to clean what now takes about 4 hours to achieve. But I have a lot of sweepers, cloths and specialty products to make it “easier and faster”. And each of those gadgets needs batteries or filters or bags that must be replaced from time to time but…
Transportation. I can’t imagine how people used to get around in a horse and buggy, much less on foot. Obviously they didn’t travel often or very far. But we are so lucky because we have jets to go around the world if we choose. On a smaller scale I have a car that will take me anywhere very quickly. Now that is a huge time saver over walking to the grocery store. The interesting twist though is that I seem to spend a LOT of time in the car. I pick up kids; drop off kids, tote kids to and fro a variety of places. I pick up food, dry cleaning, household items. I make a lot of trips to Starbucks. I drop off a prescription at Walgreens and then go back to Walgreens. All because I can. I have a car to save me effort and time. It just seems to use a lot of that time.
Communication.
It must have been astounding when the Pony Express began delivering mail. People who had been cut off from loved ones and even substantial news information now finally had a systematic way of being able to communicate from afar. My maternal grandfather came to America and wrote letters to his future wife to keep her abreast of his plans for their ultimate reunion. It must have been grueling for her to wait for his words to finally reach her.
In contrast, I can communicate with anyone, anywhere in the world instantaneously with only a click of my mouse. Sometimes, I have to wait a few hours because of the time zone differences, as someone in Russia may be sleeping when I send my email, but that is about the limit to my hardship. Since I no longer have to spend time waiting for replies, I can often make plans or decisions much more timely. However, I have begun trying to reduce the amount of email I receive because I get overwhelmed by the abundance. I find myself becoming slower on replies, to even important requests because, there is often more in my inbox that requires my attention than there is attention I have available.
Food
My kitchen is well stocked with pots, pans and utensils for faster and improved baking and cooking. I also have no shortage of gadgets that I’ve never used. These are for foods I was going to make, but haven’t had time for. Mostly these days we eat a lot of take out. That of course, is why it’s so great that I have the car I mentioned above to help me save time.
Personal care-
Boy I shouldn’t even start on this one. There are 3 products for my hair and an anti-frizz towel, two different contacts, glasses, hearing aids that require frequent batteries. I have products for softer feet, smoother skin. I own anti- wrinkling cream and I don’t even wear makeup. That would require another whole bathroom vanity. The current one is filled with mouthwash, toothpaste, a rechargeable toothbrush and charger, a water pick. It also has a magnifying mirror, hair dryer, assorted tweezers, and nail files and…
So all of this is to say that life is what life is. We can try and “solve” problems, streamline and minimize efforts and there is nothing “wrong” with that approach. The problem comes in with philosophy of solving or rather illusions of solving. Some things simply can’t or don’t need to be solved and its okay to live with them the way they are. Often our efforts to “simplify” a process results in a far more complex system of maintenance our “solving tools”. Another approach is in learning to let some things go. There are some areas of life that can’t be made simpler. They are difficult and we may need to accept that the effort required to have them in our world is significant. It’s okay if we choose those things, but we have to become willing to let something else go to achieve a balance in the amount of energy required. In other words, we can’t give 100% to two tasks simultaneously. The math just doesn’t work. I know this, because I looked the answer up on google when I couldn’t find one of my three calculators that purchased.