Fantastic Friday: Convenience and Progress

The other day, on the way to the movies, my husband realized he needed Anbesol to help a cold sore he had. We were in an unfamiliar area of town, and we used our phone to “Google” pharmacies near our current location. There was a CVS within four miles, and for just a few minutes of time, less than a dollar of gas, and a few bucks, we obtained the medication–all in time to catch the previews.

It’s so easy to criticize the country today: with politicians seeming to waste money and special interest groups soliciting lobbyists to rally for causes, it seems sometimes we are going downhill fast. It’s so easy to overlook all that we have: convenience stores with emergency food and supplies, grocery stores overflowing with food, a stable communications system and electric grid (knock on wood!).

Growing up playing Oregon Trail (and yes, I mention this tongue-in-cheekly), I know how difficult it was for past generations to have to send away for goods via the mail, to rely on home remedies and house calls for ailments, to have to find an actual stranger to direct them to a pharmacy when in an unfamiliar corner of town.

Driving to the theater as my husband put on his medication, I wondered whether all our conveniences were making me “soft.” Probably, I decided. But I decided something else, too: I wouldn’t take for granted any of the conveniences we have. We’ve come a long way–often in spite of politicians and lobbyists who seem to be increasingly more vocal as elections draw near–and over generations, we’ve made life easier for all walks of life.

And for that, I am thankful.