Also, bathing. From what we are learning in our homeschool program, frequent bathing is something that is a fairly recent discovery. Innovative, if you ask me! From the old days in France when it was considered unsanitary and frankly, just dangerous, to bathe more than once a year to life on the American prairie where you had to plan your baths in advance and heat and haul buckets of water. Ok, there are those Europeans who still smell like they adhere to that old philosophy...but on the WHOLE, people seem to have adapted rather well to cleanliness. I personally love being able to hop in a shower rather than haul in buckets of heated water and scrunch up my limbs in a little bucket. 

I know there are perks the other way, too.  Lots of things we didn't worry about, but plenty more that you DID.  Dying from a fever, plague, drought, blizzards, raiding Indians, home births with midwifes (oh, wait, I did choose that route!), would those tight braids make your face look stretched (yes), does this pinafore make me look dumpy (also yes), will Almonzo ever ask me out to ride on his wagon without Pop getting upset by the idea (yes)...

I'm sure my thoughts on this matter fluctuate given my mood, but for today, I choose NOW. After the upcoming afternoon, in which my entire extended family is meeting for a massive family picture and I'm sure we will be irritated and tuckered out and wishing we did live miles and miles apart...that may change.