It Could Be Worse

Today in my English Experience lecture, we heard a talk on "Georgian & Regency Period Furniture". One thing I found interesting was the origin of the sofa table. We learned that sofa tables were invented when oil lamps started to be used. The table provided a handy place to put a lamp behind you while sitting on the sofa reading or doing needlework.

Modern day sofa table with lamp

Prior to the use of lamps, the only source of illumination at night was candlelight. Can you imagine trying to while away the evening hours with only candlelight? And no television or computer?

We complain in England about the short winter days when it gets dark at 4 p.m. It could be worse, at least we have electric lighting.

This got me thinking about other areas in our lives where we complain but it could be worse.

When we were in the Maldives on a tiny island in the middle of the Indian Ocean, we complained when the internet connection was slow. It could be worse, like no internet service at all.

Wah Wah, the internet is slow here!

We complain about the long flight times as we jet around the world and across the oceans. It could be worse, we could be on a ship for weeks instead of on an airplane for 12 hours.

We hear about the olden days of Ex-Pats when communication with loved ones back home wasn't instantaneous. Phone calls were expensive and low-quality. Email and texting were non-existent. News was transmitted via old fashioned snail-mail. So the next time our Skype connection with Ryan is slow, I'll just have to remember.... it could be worse.