Seeing that day four's challenge listed "a convenience" I almost took a picture of the toilet. Because yeah, think about it. Plumbing is a luxury. I know we've come a long way since medieval potholes, but still, you take that porcelain pot for granted. It swallows your waste every day and you don't even say thanks.
But I opted to pass on the first idea that came to mind. Another idea was my car, but that was quickly scratched. Then I thought about my shoes. Those are definitely a convenience. I may occasionally refer to them as a necessity, but they really aren't. There are sandals and socks, and even bare feet days. That being said, they aren't a necessity, they're a convenience. Even so, it was not the one I wanted to highlight.
On my way home from work I thought about some food we had in the fridge, and I pictured one of my favorites--eggs. Fresh raw eggs in their foamy box of a home awaiting your next culinary creation. Whether you're hard boiling them or getting ready to crack their shells and release they gooey, slimy goodness into a hot pan, a bowl of dry ingredients for a baked treat. I wasn't a huge fan of eggs growing up, they were ok, just not crazy about them. Hard boiled eggs I've always enjoyed, however.
It wasn't until I joined the Navy that I really began to appreciate fresh eggs. Large pans of what was being passed off as scrambled eggs. Not a sunny side up in sight for miles. And then once I got to my sub, the limitations of food storage on board meant plenty of canned foods, pouches of Just Add Water foods, and questionable substitutes.
But in port there were fresh fruits, vegetables, and eggs. Oh, the fresh eggs. The omelets with chopped veggies, the sunny side punctured on my plate wiped up with toast, reaching out to my bacon. EGGS.
But still, I do not nominate them to IG/Blogger stardom.
And then I see it. This...
(I'm taking a moment to pat myself on the back for the happy accident of a full literary circle that I've created for myself.)
The dumpster, like the toilet I saw earlier this morning, is a vessel for our waste. Granted, it's not the same type of waste, but it's still trash we don't want around our home. Another convenience I believe many take for granted.
What if the dumpster wasn't there and we had to all take individual trips to landfills, or incinerators, or worse, just litter? Maybe we'd be better at composting, or creating less waste, so maybe it's partially enabling, but still..the dumpster is a sweet convenience.
And as I think about trash aboard the submarines...crushing cans and keeping them on board for weeks at a time...it isn't pretty. So yeah, the dumpster wins my vote for today.
And it helped me take another few moments today to realize how good life really is, and that too many things are taken for granted and are just accepted as necessity.
No comments:
Post a Comment