Allie Gregory Covergirl

I decided to write about my third prompt from week six, which is as follows:

Imagine that you were given ten minutes to choose any year you wanted to go to. You could bring anyone with you that wanted to come and you'd be guaranteed a seamless transition into the new society, but you would be stuck in your chosen time period. There would be no coming back. If you would go at all, tell when and why. If you would refuse, tell why.

          I wrote this down but not because I knew my answer. Just now, trying to write this blog post, I've actually had to give it a lot of thought. Of course I could just write something to write something and have it out of the way like most people would, but I have this strange tendency to care way too much about stuff like this. I want my answers to be absolutely right. Even when there's no right answer. Even when I'm very indecisive and can't actually decide what I think. My friends ask how I can spend so much time on things like this, but roll their eyes as they might, I think the answer is pretty clear...
          Anyway, this prompt is hard. You have to take into consideration what the stress would be like in those ten minutes, whether or not you'd actually have the courage to ditch everything at just a moment's notice and plop down in a new world. And I'd like to think I could live without my phone just fine, but I can't deny it'd be one of those nagging thoughts that would try to confuse me out of going. I know what I'd want to be different about whatever year I went to... But even then I don't know what year that would be.
          Here's what it comes down to: I have a pretty romanticized view of Chivalry and honor. Of course, there will be someone out there who finds fault with this because feminism, but I really enjoy the thought of being held to the standard of a "Lady," and men being expected to be "gentlemen." I'm in love with old-time eloquent speech, and it pains me that we move further and further from it. We move away from complete sentences and we move away from manners. I don't hear "yes, sir" or "no, ma'am" nearly as often as I should. Instead I walk down the halls at school and hear mostly curse words, usually being used in very rude contexts. That's just not classy. I get that back when things were classy, people suffered from classes. But can't we have equality and a civilized society?
          But the prompt isn't about changing this time. It's about moving to another. And I think I could revel in the speech and customs of some time long past. Part of me would love to try life without cell phones, because honestly I think they're ruining personal relationships. Time and time again, I've received texts about the important things in life. Things people are too afraid to say out loud. And I hate that people have that security blanket to hide behind. I'd love it if someone whose trying to apologize had the guts to say it to my face. At least I could rely on that not even being a problem if I went anywhere beyond the past 30 years or so.
            That all being said, I know there are problems I'd encounter no matter what time I went to. Too far back and medicine gets bad. Increased risk of dying isn't preferable. Also, it would be different to have to fight for my rights being a female. But I'm a fighter, so honestly neither of these deters me all that much. I like a good adventure, and if I ended up doing manual labor on a farm, I would. But if I ended a Lady married to some Landlord, I'd take that too. I would refuse to own slaves if that was something that existed in my time period, and I would do everything I could to improve the situation of my tenants. (As far as I see it, that's totally viable. Having gown up thus far in a different time period, I'm entitled to different views. And I wouldn't marry a landlord if they didn't let me have this.) And I'd definitely hope for some Balls. I want to ballroom dance in a real ballroom with a ballgown. Yes, please.
          So, all in all, I'd take it. Yes, I would, I could absolutely live in a past time and it would feel worth it, even if I ended up in less-than-desireable conditions. If I had everyone I loved with me, I would be set, and consider it an adventure from then on out. But it's taken me much longer than ten minutes to consider even writing this. Could I come to anything so conclusive under the pressure of it being real? I really can't say. Either way, I hope whoever is taking me can give me some tips on what year I'd actually want to go to. And I'll try not to worry about it too much because while there's a chance, this question isn't likely to be relevant any time soon.