Retro Vision

Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to live in the late 19th Century, or even the beginning of the 20th. Besides being fascinated by the clothing and the ornamental roles of women in that era, I wonder what it would be like not to have a car.

I drive an hour each morning to work. What would I be doing if I couldn't do that? What would my life be like without the freedom to get in the car and go wherever I want to?

In a way, I believe that there would be a few benefits. For one, I love horses. I lived on a farm for eight months where I got to feed horses and muck out stalls. I enjoyed every moment of it. In fact, if I could clean stalls for a comfortable living I am almost positive that I would change career tracts instantly.

Beyond the horses, there is the idea that you would have to walk more places. I love walking, and while it is not always such a great thing in the middle of 90 degree weather, it is an enjoyable way to get around. I used to walk miles a day when I lived in Boston. Granted, I did take the "T" (subway) on many occasions, but often I would just walk where I wanted to go. Walking allows you time to look at things along the way, think, and decompress. That is one of the reasons that I miss living in Boston.

Walking and horses are a great draw for me to an era without cars. There are so many romantic views of that time that often I am caught up in seeing things in an unrealistic way. However, my solid background in history allows me to cast off those fantasies and imagine the time as it was for those living in it. It would be a hard way to live if I kept my current social status based on income. I would not be wealthy, but neither would I be poor by any means. I would be in a merchant class where there was enough money for a few luxuries, but not enough to make life easy.

Even with my informed view of the time, I still yearn for it on occasion. Sometimes I imagine having a very difficult life, but one that had more solid meaning. Meaning in our lives these days is so intangible and fleeting. And perhaps that is the whole impetus behind these yearnings.

I'm searching for meaning.