When my son was little (around four years old, I think), he gave our family some unusual nicknames.  They were short-lived, but memorable monikers.

He called himself “Bicycler.”  It was an interesting choice since he couldn’t ride a bike and didn’t really show an interest in bikes at that point.  I guess he was thinking ahead.

He dubbed his little brother “Goer.”  That was accurate because the boy seemed to always be in perpetual motion.

My husband was “Chipper.”  At first I thought it referred to a cheerful disposition, but my son informed me it was because his dad liked to eat potato chips.

Finally he announced my nickname.  I was “Machiner.” 

I was perplexed by this choice.  Machiner?  It seemed like a cold, manly name for his dear mother.  But it made sense when he explained it.

He told me he had noticed that I liked to use a lot of machines:  vacuum cleaner, dishwasher, washing machine, toaster, etc.

Then I realized it was a logical choice.  His insight in choosing those nicknames has remained with me.

I do like to use those machines.  Although I generally have to use them more often than I would like, it’s great to have them as tools around the house.  We tend to take them for granted now, but it wasn’t long ago that life was a lot harder because they had to do all that work by hand.

So today for my days of thanks project, I’m grateful for the convenient household machines that make modern life easier.