I was washing dishes the other day when I came upon my frying pan that had some stuck-on food that needed extra care.
We do not have a dishwasher, so I am it. I have never had an electric dishwasher and I don't care to have one. Besides, our kitchen is so small that there is no room for one.
So, I came to the stuck-on food. I reached for my steel wool soap pad, applied a little elbow grease and the pan was as shiny as new.
It is at times like this that I wonder how pioneer women handled such matters. Did they scrape the pan with a knife or fork? Did they soak the pan in water and boil it off later? Inquiring minds want to know. I probably will never know--and that's okay. I just figure washing dishes, and life in general, was a lot harder back then.
Eliza Catlin Dart, circa1845,
after five years of
pioneering. (47 years old)
Years ago, I took some classes at the local university. One of the courses was American History. The professor handed us students a picture of a pioneer woman. She was dressed up in a fancy dress, shawl and lacy gloves. She was 47 years old. She had a wrinkled face and a vacant look in her eyes. She looked like she was 97--not 47. I felt so sorry for her and all of her contemporaries. I showed the picture to a friend who turned 47 that year. It gave her a new perspective on her life.
However, it was women and men, years ago, who had the ingenuity, courage and determination to forge ahead, little by little, made changes in their circumstances and built our nation. I wonder if they ever thought about the people who preceded them--the people of the Stone Age or the Iron Age. They were people who used rocks and sticks to do their work. How did they cook? How did they provide food, clothing and shelter? Little by little they changed their way of doing things to make it easier for themselves and those who followed. It took ingenuity, courage and determination to make their way in life. I wonder if they ever thought about the people who would come after them.
We still need ingenuity, courage and determination to make our way in life. However, the challenges are mostly spiritual and emotional. We need to use the best of our character to spread love and co-operation and fewer protests and violence. Perhaps, we need to spend less time on social media and more time being social--face to face.
Through the centuries, one civilization has paved the way for the one to come. We all stand on the shoulders of those who came before us. Some day others will stand on ours. How strong are our shoulders? Will we have the ingenuity, courage and determination to make a better life for others?
Dorothy is the author of two books—“Miles and Miracles” and “Getting It All Together “. You can purchase a book or send a comment by emailing her at dorothybutzknight@gmail.com