Friday, January 28, 2011

How did women survive?

In one of my classes for graduate school, my professor asked, "Do any of you ever feel like you were born in the wrong time?" As I listened to a few classmates drone on about how they were certain they should have been born (coincidentally) in the time period we were studying, I began to convince myself that I was, in fact born in the wrong time.

OK, sure, whenever I think about living in another time, I am quick to remember that I am blessed to have access to medical care in this time. That's a gimme. (And really, I couldn't be more grateful for it.) But this is one of those hypothetical questions where you can romanticize and demonize aspects of society as you see fit.

After that lovely day in class, I determined that I had, in fact, been born in the wrong time. I wanted to live in a time where people were recognized for beautiful words and great deeds. Where men not only covered their rear ends when they left the house, but they fretted over things like hats and pocket squares.

But as time goes on, I have started remembering things I love about living now, like running water, countless devices to keep babies happy (can you imagine having a newborn without a swing?!? I would die), etc., etc. I was beginning to feel better about living in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011, but then my dishwasher broke.

I am here to testify that after hours and hours of hand-scrubbing dishes, I was so born in the right time. I don't know if you know this, but living without a dishwasher is awful. Miserable. My two weeks of experience have made me a believer in the power of technology.

And now if you'll excuse me, I can hear story time happening in the living room without me. And that's where I really want to be right now.

8 comments:

Angie said...

I'm convinced that I was definitely born in the right time : )

melissa said...

ha. we didn't have a dishwasher until we moved here and i sometimes think it's not worth the trouble. i'm going to have to say i have always felt like i belonged sometime else.

B said...

I think that there are for sure appealing things about another time, I would love a simpler time. I would love a time where people valued sitting on the porch more than running around doing things. Where women were courted and values were celebrated. But there are some pretty great things about our time too. And we can spend our time however we want. We can sit quietly on the porch while the dishwasher works away in the kitchen.

brightbit said...

i totally agree. i believe a person is meant for the time they live in. besides, i just couldn't function without and iphone!

Jessica H. said...

So true about the dishwasher! Other than for technological reasons, however, I like to remind myself when caught romanticizing history, that I come from a common class of people and so leisure time, pretty clothes and men with pocket squares or witty words would likely have been quite out of my realm anyhow :).

Carrie said...

yeah, i only want to live in jane austin days if i can have a whole staff of people to do everything for me... they had human swings called nannies and cooks and dishwashers! dowton abbey here i come.:)

Carrie said...

*downton

Stephanie said...

I read this so where is my comment? Hmmm... I'm losing it. Anyway, I was thinking about this this morning and how once you have a dishwasher there is absolutely no going back. Not at all! I wish you luck dear pal.