I used to have to…. I used to be able to ……. I don’t have to anymore…… All three of these statements cover the passing of time in eons, in years, in aging. A person of importance at one time knelt by a fire and knapped flint to create arrowheads for hunting. Later members of the family could turn out an improved object in iron. By the Industrial Revolution, steel points needed a person only to run the machinery. Yet a nostalgic moment remains in some museums with artisans enthralling wide eyed children in “how we used to.”
Progress certainly makes some tasks easier. Mentally go through the steps of creating a wagon wheel. The right size wood slowly being shaped in size and form. An improvement of an iron band to confine the shape and give stability. Whole wagon trains were help up if a trip down an incline caused one to break. One of my 1st grade boys came to Sunday School in my face to tell me his dad’s car had a tire “break” on the way to church and what they had to do. When I first started driving, my dad, who believed in being prepared, spent an afternoon coaching me through the process of changing a tire. When I finally had a flat on the highway when I was in college, I pulled over and a truck driver stopped and helped me. I wouldn’t even know if I have a spare anymore, and certainly don’t plan on changing one.
Packages to mail are now sealed with tape. Even the brads on envelopes are covered to keep from catching in the machinery. Wrapping packages to mail was an art. Find the right size box. The next step was to keep the brown paper from rolling up on you before you stretched it around the box and used a minimum of tape to hold in place. Depending on the size of the package, several rolls of string, twine, or heavy cord were kept to finish the job. I learned estimation by cutting off cord the right length to wrap and tie without having too little or too much. A plus was you could hold the package by the string instead of having to stumble with arms wrapped around it. Now, you can buy the box, forget outer tape, and cost is already figured.
So many changes. I don’t have to shear the sheep, card the wool, and spin the yard even if knitting is an option for a new sweater. I’ve told before of the my skill in rolling coins for the bank. Now those loose round things are useful only for adding tax to $3.99. No one cares if I fill an ice tray to the right level to pop cubes out easily. However, each of us keeps a skill that defines us. Maybe it has been tweaked, yet is is ours to give. A friend decorates cakes for her grandchildren’s birthdays. A dad built a special home school desk last year instead of using IKA. I made a quilt and do bake bread. If change goes back instead of forward, someone may kneel once again by a fire, ready to build a new skill as a gift to the community.
May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish for us the work of our hands—yes, establish the work of our hands! …
Psalm 90: 17
Let Me Tell Ya 