Today, I am grateful for heat. Today, when the temperature gauge barely hit 15°C (59°F), rain and hail has poured down all day, and an icy wind has been blowing, I am extremely happy to have a heated home, warm slippers and hot coffee.
In a world where we have central heating, instant kettles and gas ovens, it is hard to imagine how long it would take to warm oneself in the Victorian age, or earlier. Stoking fires and boiling water would have taken much longer.
Say, my experience today, for example. I had to dash outside. In the minute or less I was out there, my clothes were dampened severely, my hair dripped with water and my feet became numb with cold. Fortunately I was able to escape into a house already warm from the central heating and soon I was thawing out.
Now, if I had lived two hundred years ago, I would have had to start a fire and stand in front of it for a long while to get dry and warm. Perhaps I would have even changed my clothes to feel dryer as well.
When I think of the effort it would have taken to warm up back then, I am truly grateful for the modern conveniences I enjoy. What is it you are most grateful for?
Romancing The Rock 
Ditto – heat/warmth. A year ago I was living in a tin shed while we waited for our house to be built and Central Victoria is a bit cool through winter 😦 Living in a real house is wonderful and every day I am very grateful 🙂
A bit cool? I imagine it’s more like freezing!!! 🙂 Especially in a tin shed. I would be grateful for a real house too after that. 🙂
It’s going to sound strange coming from such a olde worlde fan, but I’m really thankful for technology. It’s opened up such a BIG door and I for one am glad for what it brings my life. 🙂
Aha, yes. Us historical fans love to dream about livig in the old days, but we don’t really want to give up our mod-cons do we?