We live in a pretty amazing world, really

[GarlicMile]

Just randomly musing! My life is far from perfect. I live in a place I dislike but can't move, I'm dependent on the State for my adequate but restrictive income, and I'm disabled by chronic health conditions. But in earlier times, or in half of the world today, I'd already have died an unhappy death. I've travelled and had many enriching experiences, thanks to unprecedented freedoms for women of the ordinary classes.

I just ran a tap that dispenses clean water whenever I want, put my choice of nutritious food in an oven that heats without fire, and am watching stories being enacted on a screen in my living room while my laundry washes itself. I did not have to make my own clothes, let alone weave the damn cloth they're made of.

It's bloody fantastic, isn't it? Don't know what kind of replies I'm expecting, but would be happy to hear your thoughts.

I love this post. It’s so refreshing.

gratitude is the key to contentment.

thank you for reminder x

I love this sentiment, and I agree. I have full health, at over 50, survived a serious illness in childhood because of the NHS, and have two amazing teenagers both conceived through IVF which would not have been possible in many other places and times. We have a good income and standard of living, and live in a free society, including for women. I think about it often and try to do some good with the power and opportunity I have.

Yes, I think being battered with the news 24/7 has made us feel this is 'the worst of times' which is far from the truth.

I agree OP

I tend to agree.

When you stop and think about it, it's all rather incredible, and if you tried to explain it someone who had never seen any of it, it would sound fantastical.

I do love people's minds too. I am amused everyday by quirky little traits and the goings on in peoples heads. I love other peoples brains. People I've known for 30 years can still amaze me and make me laugh. People I've only just met will have a fascinating angle about something.

And the sound of birds at dawn is like something out of science fiction. Like an electric cacophony of dreamy trills and whistles. And some people have spent their life studying a small thing like this and can tell us every bird call and what it means. Just incredible.

I'm just watching someone on BBC2 painstakingly applying tiny fragments of gold leaf to some chairs someone painstakingly carved 350 years ago. Each chair will take 80 hours for the gold leaf alone, there are 12 chairs to goldify.

I spend my life constantly amazed by people and things, and I love it.

A lovely post. I share your delight and appreciation, in particular of white goods and clean water.

It's weird to think that one day people will look back at this time as old fashioned, and look upon what we didn't have. It seems we have it all but maybe that's how every era has felt.. weird

This.
Lovely post OP.
Stay positive, be grateful :)

You're right OP and so many people waste time worrying about stuff they can't do owt about our things that don't exist / striving to by happy when contentment is a better emotion to aim for.

The everyday miracles of modern utilities are easily taken for granted - we've had issues with our water supply twice the the last few years and it's certainly made me realise how miraculous it is / how lucky we are to live where & when we do.

I'm also grateful for modern medicine & specifically the NHS - without which I would have been dead several times over.

Thanks for the reminder OP to enjoy the contentment

I love this!

I survived illnesses as a child that would probably have killed me a hundred years ago. I was able to have a safe, painless and sterile emergency csection during a difficult and dangeous labour. My DC are vaccinated against the illnesses that used to decimate under fives. I can do my job from the comfort of my living room via a screen that lets me work on a document in real time with someone on the other side of the world. I have access to the NHS and to reasonably priced prescription medication to help with my medical conditions, meaning I can live a happy and productive life rather than being locked up in an institution with ‘hysteria’ or confined to my bedroom as an ‘invalid’. I can buy pretty much anything I want on the internet and have it delivered to my door. I can vote and own my own property. I met my partner on a dating app that allowed me to find someone I’d never have otherwise met in my everyday life. I can access any information I want on a phone that fits in the palm of my hand, and can take hundreds of books on holiday with me on one small paperback-sized device. Next week I’ll be getting on a plane and flying above the clouds, landing a few hours later on another continent.

God, we’re lucky. Life is beautiful, precious, glorious.

(On a more practical note, I just got a new washing machine today after my old one broke and I am currently revelling in the miracle of white goods 😃)

Thank you for these lovely replies 🤗

I agree that contentment's undervalued. When younger, I saw contentment as a kind of consolation prize; something to look down on. I think, perhaps, I misunderstood what it is. That feeling when you're on the perfect beach or balcony, in the perfect temperature, with the perfect drink, and you're really in the moment - it's happiness and also contentment. It's about appreciating what is, right here, right now.

As far as we can tell, humans are distinguished from other species by our constant striving to explore new ways of making our lives better. Our definitions of 'better' may vary dramatically but few would disagree that improvements to comfort, safety and health qualify. We're lucky to be enjoying those benefits - and, for sure, there are people striving to improve them still further.

I think I'm still ambitious in my own ways. At the same time, it's a mistake to strive so hard that you lose sight of what you already have - a bit like those drivers who flat-pedal it all the way to the Mediterranean, missing all the scenery and wonderful cafes en route!

... so many words to say "slow down and smell the flowers" 😳 Sorry!

I agree OP.
I think a lot of people focus on ‘what they don’t have’ rather than taking time to appreciate what they do have.

I can find joy in the most basic things……nature, the smell or rain, kindness of others and having food in my fridge. I’m not well off, and like you I have to rely on some benefits. I don’t own my own home or have a flash car but each morning I look out the window and listen to the birds singing and think how lucky I am.

What a wonderful refreshing thread. Thank you.

This is a lovely thread and a great sentiment. My life changed completely for the better two years ago when I started incorporating a daily gratitude practice into it. It sounds twee and maybe a bit woo but it’s like a muscle you can strengthen, looking for two or three things a day to be grateful for as a start, can totally change your mindset.

So true OP! The transformative things that have happened even within my lifetime are amazing. Think of all the illnesses and diseases we now have cures for and more are coming, when once you'd have just died as a matter of course. Life is good in spite of all the negative news.