Gone away are the days of hand written letters, rotary telephones, and 25 cent gas. Horseshoes, saddlebags, and spurs are mostly found in museums or hanging by rusty nails on rotten barn walls. Of this we’re all well aware. We’re trapped in a modern age of convenience. Transportation on demand, food by delivery, and cell phones with more computing power than the combined brain power of every generation before us are just a few of norms in 2018.
Don’t get me wrong, some of these things are wonderful advancements. If it weren’t for my cell phone and computer I wouldn’t have a medium for reaching whoever is reading this today. Hell I wouldn’t have a job if it weren’t for those things. But some of the conveniences we’ve gotten so used to are just a damn shame. People are in such a hurry that they’d rather pay $8 for a sack of fast food that tastes like crap than take the time to cook a meal and sit to enjoy it with loved ones. We’re spoiled by two-day deliveries and instant results every direction we look.
All of these conveniences were made possible by hard work, blood, sweat, and tears of the men and women who came before us. The embodiment of this western spirit is still alive and well today, you just may have to look a little harder to find it. So I encourage you to get your hands dirty mowing your own yard, help out on the farm, cook a meal from scratch and make your family sit to eat it with you, or even just take the time away from all the distractions to appreciate the little things. Take a step back every now and then, take the long way home, just slow things down and make the most of whatever you’re doing.
