Convenience

There is something sad about how very convenience oriented we Americans are. We want everything at one store (e.g. Target or Wal-Mart) or in bulk so we can shop less often, and if there is a drive through window, all the better. We ask, why can't we just slow down, chat with the person behind the counter, leave a few minutes early so you don't have to drive through for coffee. Why is convenience such a determining factor in our lives?
Because the baby is asleep in the back and if you wake her up she won't stop crying until she gets a bottle; because it takes the pre-schooler 15 minutes to go potty and put on shoes; because of the ever-present melt-down factor that can add a solid half hour to any excursion; because they both want to touch everything they see and want anything they can't have; because it's really hard to endorse a check and use an ATM with only one hand without the baby eating the check; because getting the stroller in and out of the trunk while juggling two kids and a purse and a diaper bag is not easy.
I'm converted. Convenience is awesome. American's may be self-centered, too fast paced, and engulfed by the need for instant gratification, but if that means I can get coffee almost every day from the drive through coffee hut without it disturbing the kids, then so be it. And if they put in a drive-up ATM at the local PNC, all the better.