January 6 2014

Running Water. In most of the developed world people have had this in their homes for at least 100 years. I think this is one of the easiest things to take for granted. You need to wash your hands, you turn it on, and it's there. Need to clean a spot off the floor? Need to do your laundry? Need to water a plant? Need to flush away your excrement? Yep, its there, 99.99% of the time. Maybe that's why its all too easy to waste it. Easy come easy go, right? Remember the last time the city or your apartment or townhouse complex had to work on the pipes, and they warned you that your water would be shut off? What did you do? Well you stocked up of course. You filled your water jug for drinking, a couple of pails for flushing the toilet. Maybe you filled the bathtub so you could have enough water to wash the dishes later. How did you fare for just one day without running water? Could you go two days? A week? A life time? 

I couldn't help thinking today about how different life would be if we didn't have running water in our homes. Imagine if a large part of your day was spent in walking to a communal water pump, waiting in line and then pumping water into a jug or two that you had to carry or balance on your back, shoulders or head? How much water would you waste if you had to carry it each day? How many times would you wash your hands if you had to haul water to your home? How many times would you shower or bathe under these circumstances? 

Scientists tell us that one of the first lines against preventing the flu or other illness is good hygiene. Wash your hands often to prevent transfer and ingestion of germs. This is something I do every time I come home from being out. Last time I had the flu was about 9 years ago. Imagine how much sicker we'd be without running water. Would we be as diligent about washing our food? Our hands? Our children's hands? 

Running water. It's a given for most homes. What though, of the people who have none? The third world notwithstanding, there are people right here in Canada or the US who,for one reason or another, have had their water shut off. Maybe the pipes froze and burst. Maybe they lost their job and couldn't pay the water bill. Maybe there was a storm that broke the water pipe. Suddenly a good life becomes an extreme hardship. 

Today I appreciate running water. Out of that appreciation comes respect. I try hard not to waste water. Maybe one day I will be without water. So today I appreciate it and give my gratitude for it.