So, if VR gets in the car and drives to gramma’s house, how far away is it and how long does it take?

Seems a little vague and open-ended, I admit.

But, as usual, there is a point, no matter how vague.

In this case, the point is time. And actually distance as well, come to think of it.

Around 1800 and before, gramma probably lived in the same house as you, or at the very least on the same farm.

Around 1800-1900, gramma probably had her own house, but definitely still lived on the farm.

1900 – 1920 gramma lived on the farm and her kids were moving to town.

1920 – 1940, gramma lived on the farm and the kids were having kids that lived in town.

1940 – 1960, gramma has given up and sold the farm, she and the kids live in tiny houses in the town.

1960 – 1980, gramma lives in a small condo in town, the kids have moved to the suburbs.

1980 – 2000, gramma lives in a retirement home in Miami, the kids work for a conglomerate that makes organic wool from organic sheep.

2000 – 2018, gramma comes back home to take care of the kids since mom and dad both work.

2018 – 2022, gramma and mom take care of the kids together, since mom’s gotten a taste of being a real mom and refuses to go back to the salt mines – she stays home with gramma and takes care of the kids.

All right, all right. I admit I lost track of the point. But basically, it was that as time has moved forward, we’ve lived further from each other. Gramma’s house used to be a walk across the street, and now it’s a flight across the country. Or more to the point, it was that way a very short time ago. But Covid, as hateful as it was and as abusive as the reaction was, gave us something different to consider.

Maybe if we give up some of the neat stuff we’ve been stacking in storage units and closets, we can live a life that doesn’t include entire weeks of your life per year spent going to work, or coming home. And even more especially now that gas prices are so high that you have to work an entire day of your work week just to pay for making it to work and home.

In 1800, gramma probably lived in a one-room house, all her kids and their kids lived with her, and they had one outhouse in the backyard. Or maybe in the front yard.

I’m certainly not advocating going back that far, but just how many air fryers do you need? Does each kid need a full 500 square feet to themselves? Do the parents need a 1500 square foot master bedroom with a walk-in closet, a full jacuzzi tub and maid service?

Maybe live closer together in smaller houses where we all see each other more than just on Facebook, and where you have to face your temper tantrums with real people instead of just making nasty comments on said Facebook or Twitter.

Just imagine.

Nah, never mind. As you were.