I read a lot of memoirs from the early half of the 20th Century. In a weird way it always helps when I get lifestyle envy! But I do think of what I have, both materially and lifestyle, that my grandparents would have considered absolute luxury in their childhoods. For context, paternal grandparents born 1920, 1924. Welsh mining family. Maternal grandparents born 1930 and 1932, Northern factory workers. Off top of my head....
- A profession where I sit in an office warm and dry. Health and safety legislation that wouldn't see me dead of lung disease at 46 (my G Grandad), or deaf in my late 30's (my grandad).
- Hot running water which would have been a godsend when not spending an hour an evening heating water for a bath you could barely fit into (pit workers)
- An inside Loo. Something my gran didn't have until she was married.
- Vaccinations. My grandads sister died of measles at 3 years old.
- Easy accsess to communication. Not spending 3 years in the army with only intermittent letters to let you know if (my grandad) was still alive.
- Privacy. My Gran was one of 10 (!) and when she was born they had 2 rooms above a shop. They later moved to a 3 bed house (when I think no.7 was born) and thought it the height of achievement.
- Education. All 4 of my grandparents where out of education by 14
- Wine! Even when I was growing up in the 80's wine was considered the preserve of the rich by my grandparents!
There's loads, loads more but I won't go on all night! It just helps me sometimes to get into perspective that my lifestyle, just 2-3 generations ago, would have been considered luxurious.