The Cold

It's very unfortunate, but currently, we have no hot water in our apartment. It has been out for a few days now and we have been routed to taking cold, cold showers.

It's true that there are far worse fates we could be suffering right now. The fact that we get to wake up everyday in a peaceful community and not have to worry about unbridled violence or war or pestilence is pretty reassuring, since the news brings images of those things into our home every night.

And while we sit here and complain about not having hot water, our relatives are back home packing bags up with sand to try to hold a river back at its banks. This after several thousands of homes and acres of valuable farmland have already been destroyed.

And yet we whine about having to stand in a little bit of cold water for a few minutes? It hardly seems right. It's the middle of summer, even, we should be grateful for such a cause.

But when you look down at your hands and see every blue vein light up like a neon sign, it lets you know how very clean you are! And when using Head and Shoulders Refresh, the cold feels even colder!

Jumping into a cold shower delivers a shortness of breath, much like you might feel when finding out your best friend got trapped in a car during a flash flood or seeing all your worldly possessions destroyed instantly before your very eyes.

It's amazing how we sometimes take technology for granted. And how no matter how prepared we may think we may be, it doesn't compare with going through the actual event. Sometimes you really don't know what you have until it's gone.