You really don't think about water on a daily basis, do you? If you need to rinse something off, you absent-mindedly turn on the tap. You brush your teeth with the water running (even though you know you really should be conserving water). You tell yourself, "just one more minute," when the hot water rains down on you deliciously in the shower.
With the water gone, I was really at a loss as to how to do simple things. My parents deal with the lack of water situation every day in Honduras. They put out buckets to catch rain water for laundry. They make the short trek to my grandmother's well when they need water to wash dishes or bathe. They used purified water to brush their teeth and cook. And they are fine with it. Meanwhile, I was about to have a mini-breakdown. I couldn't bathe myself or Brendan. I couldn't cook. I couldn't wash dishes or do laundry. We ate out and used the bathroom at the restaurant; then we went to bed unwashed.
It wasn't until the morning that I realized that it wasn't the end of the world (and with Big Bren experiencing an unprecedented brain cramp when it comes to the plumbing for whatever reason, and the announcement that there would be no water for ANOTHER 24 hours, I'm glad I reached my moment of zen when I did). I pulled out all of our bottled water, heated some of it and used it to give Bren a quick bath. Then, we used more to brush our teeth. I put on my workout wear and was actually grateful for the lack of water because I would now be forced to go to the gym (they have showers!) for the first time in 3 months.
After my workout (and wonderfully toasty shower), I was in quite the good mood. After work, I am going to buy some 3-gallon containers of water and cook something yummy for my family. Sometimes, it's losing the little things that serve as a reminder of all the big things that we take for granted.
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