Both my parents came from large families in today's terms. My mom is one of nine and my dad was one of five. I guess they are typical baby boomers.

I flipped by an episode of "Jon and Kate Plus Eight" and they were talking about the sheer quantity of diapers they went through on a daily basis with six babies. This got me thinking about how families of this size might deserve things like paper cups and disposable grocery bags and individually packaged snacks.

But in large, families of this size are the exception. Gone are the days of massive Catholic families. The items that drive convenience have passed, but the nasty dependencies we developed has stayed and perpetuated.

I think we often confuse convenience with progress. And there are things in our lives that are more convenient and do demonstrate progress. But things like plastic grocery bags are not an improvement over cloth, reusable bags. Using a paper cup for your daily coffee is not progress. These things are regression. 

I'd encourage you to give some of the things in your day a second thought and ask yourself, what is the cost of this convenience? Do I need to drive to the store the moment I'm out of batteries for my television remote or can I save this trip for a time I have more to my list? Do I need to drive separately from my spouse just in case one of us gets bored?