Don't let it die... part deux.

I've been thinking about this whole thing all day, and I have come to some conclusions about why our generation is moving away from some of these traditional things.

Some people may say it's difficult.  I beg to differ.  I could go and try to explain to a 95-year-old how the words I'm writing right now will be instantly visible to everyone in the entire world.  That would be difficult.  We have a weird perception of "difficult".  Everything that takes time becomes hard.  Not because it's complicated, but because we're already so overbooked that FINDING time is what is difficult.  I'm pretty sure if we told our grandparents that making pickles is hard, they would be confused.  What part of "sticking cucumbers in a jar, pouring brine over it, and sticking it in a jacuzzi for a bit" is hard?

I remember stories my grandmother used to tell me.  She grew up in a world where they had significantly less money.  What they did have...  was time.  They planted gardens, and stored the food for the winter because it was cheaper than paying someone to do it for you.  They fixed their own clothes because it was cheaper than buying new ones.

Reality has shifted.   We work all the time to make money to pay for things we have already bought.   It's not that we have much more money, we've just made conscious choices to buy what we need (to save us time), and therefore need more money, so we work harder, leaving us even less time.  It's a vicious cycle. 

Yes, doing things for yourself takes time, but I prefer to make the time.  We aren't rich, but we have what we need, and while Husband works, I will work just as hard to make the dollars he brings home stretch as far as they can.  And in the meantime, I'll look at my cupboard full of preserves, and my freezer full of food (that are all going to taste better than their store-bought counterparts) and be satisfied.