Living better than kings

It's been a bit cold lately. While we haven't gotten nearly the amount of snow that our unfortunate neighboring states to the north have gotten, it's still been rather chilly.

So when is a furnace likely to go out? When it's very cold, of course. Our furnace started making a funny noise yesterday. Then it stopped blowing out any air, which meant no heat either.

We didn't lose our power, though, which was a blessing. We have a wood stove fireplace, but it can trigger an asthma attack for me, so it isn't our first choice for heating the house anymore. My son and I went and got three portable electric heaters, which helped a great deal. The house never got cold, although the temperature did drop to about 60 degrees. It started working again when our electrician friend came to check it. Of course. Then it stopped working again today, but we had a comfortably warm night. The furnace has been fixed now, and we're warm and cozy.

I realized last night how often we take for granted such things as heating and air conditioning, and plumbing, and computers, and so many other blessings.

No wonder people in less affluent countries think all Americans are rich. To a great extent, we are, whether we live in a big house or not, whether we drive a fancy car or something simple.

We may not have servants, but we have conveniences and technology that make our lives easier and more comfortable. We may not have castles, but our homes aren't drafty, and we have indoor plumbing along with the heating and air conditioning. We don't have jugglers and acrobats to entertain us, but we have TV with cable, and favorite movies in our home DVD collection. We can easily communicate with anyone we want via phone or internet. We don't have personal chefs, but we can make our own gourmet meals or bring it home from a local restaurant. Most people have dishwashers that make the cleanup easy, too.

Although we still occasionally have health problems or dental issues, modern medicine and scientific advances have made it possible to live longer, healthier lives--at least if we eat smart and exercise. (I need to work harder on that last item.)

All in all, we have it pretty good. I'll take my life over that of any of the kings and queens of old.

Any day.