most of the western states are melting. or on fire. or both. it is ghastly. i am a puddle. temperatures over about 87 floor me. and not in a good way. i call it extreme heat intolerance. on a daily basis i am thankful for the air conditioning in my bungalow, the river i can escape to, and a functioning ice-maker. i send blessings to those that work and live and suffer in these extreme conditions all the time- even year round. at least i know there is a reprieve. whether it is tonight at 11pm or in september when we get our first snow surprise in idaho. i see them out there… the ones who have no escape. the pets and animals that are relegated to their yards. the laborers who stand out in the heat for 10 hour shifts- holding flags and directing traffic, the construction and road workers. and those whose actual job it is to combat the heat- the firefighters. i curse the fireworks and the lightning and pray for rain. i curse the thrown out cigarettes and the campfires that are allowed to run wild. i cherish sprinklers and ditches and creeks that haven’t dried up. i dance in the summer rain, and laugh that it has dirtied my newly washed car or spoiled my laundry on the clothesline. i drink the cold, clear and i am thankful.
i never take water for advantage. i know it is the source of life, and green and refreshment. i know it washes and quenches. it cleans and baptizes. i have lived without running water. and i have brought the water into my life. i’ve seen others bring it into theirs. i remember the day we dug our well and then the day the sink was filled from a faucet instead of a bucket. we installed the faucet before we dug the well. what a miracle it seemed when finally, a lift of the handle brought the sacred elixir. miracle or magic or alchemy? later, i shared the joy when my friend finally brought water to her country property. “Now I know everything will be OK” she exclaimed. she lived in a camp trailer during her pregnancy and until her firstborn was nearly one, but now she had water. and so it was alright. i remember the day, because i knew how she felt to finally have the release of knowing water was available. whether she needed it right now, or later.
we all hear of (usually) women in other countries that walk hours for even small amounts of water to nourish their families and their animals. here in american, all we have to do is pay exorbitant prices for a plastic bottle of water that we don’t even drink. in this platform- we easily pay more than a gallon of gas by comparison. we use it to stroke our egos by planting grass and flowers to decorate our lives. to cool us off with fountains and self made ponds. to please our eye (and cool us off) with green and the cool blue of the reflection.
water is part of the circle of life. you never realize how important it is until you don’t got none. i am thankful every single day. even or especially when i forget.
bluebird skies 