Pioneer Day...In May

As I was driving home yesterday from visiting my mom in Provo my mind kind of wandered to how greatful I am to not be a pioneer woman.  Yes, I know.  Random.  But if you think about it, it's so nice to be able to drive 20 miles to visit someone in about 20 minutes, instead of spending all day walking there.  And then walking back.  Or fly across the country in a few hours instead of packing up the covered wagon and spending the next year or so traveling.  Not to mention air conditioning, or fast food, or indoor plumbing, or dishwashers.  Yes, we are a very blessed generation.  At least, so it seems.  We don't have to worry about freezing in the winters (unless we don't pay our gas bills).  We can just hop in our cars and go to the grocery store instead of waiting for the harvesting of our crops, assuming we can even get crops to grow.  We don't have to worry about walking across the plains and losing half (if not all) of our children to cold or hunger or wild animals.  Yes, I am greatful to not be a pioneer woman.

Then my thoughts went to all of the things that we do have to worry about.  No, we don't have to plant food unless we want to.  But we do have to worry about obesity and wether or not we and our families are getting enough nutrition out of our plethora of food.  We don't have to worry about freezing to death, but we do have to breath the yucky air that we've created with all of our gas and oil consumption.  We don't have to worry about wild animals devouring our children, but there are definitly predators out there willing to prey on our innocent children.  We have to worry about all of the issues that go along with our technology.  We and our children literally have the world at our fingertips, which is awesome, but can be very bad too. 

At church on Sunday, my co-teacher mentioned that it is so easy to forget the Lord when we are so blessed.  I know I have forgotten who blesses me a time or two, only to be humbled a short time later.  I'm pretty sure that the pioneers basically lived on faith and gratitude for their very lives. 

Given all of the pros and cons of both lifestyles, I'll take mine any day.  I am so greatful for not being born a pioneer, but I am so greatful for all of the pioneers in history that made my lifestyle possible.