I was reminded today of how privileged we are and how precarious our life is here. The city is working on the road the runs perpendicular to ours, and they hit something they should not have. Suddenly and without warning, we had no water. It was the middle of a hot summer day, and I had no water for my children. We do not buy bottled water, so there was nothing. I had just started a load of wash, but the water stopped before the tub filled. I had also just spilled a lot of espresso, but I had no water with which to wet the cloth I was using to wipe it up.

Fortunately for us, our dear neighbors still had water, so I filled two pitchers there for us. Those two pitchers instantly became precious. I have always been one to harp on the kids about only taking what they can drink and not dumping out full glasses of water, but if they did not finish their water and no one else drank it, it went to the plants. Suddenly, those partial glasses had to be hoarded in the refrigerator.

It was an interesting experience, thankfully short-lived. It showed me a place where my preparation is lacking. I need to keep a few jugs of water on hand, just in case, for the future. I need to research some storage options because I do not want to pick up a few jugs at the grocery that will sit there leaching chemicals out of the plastic for the next year until they are needed.

The experience also showed me that I am privileged. If my neighbor had not had water or had not been home and we had a dire need of water, I could have walked to the office to fill a jug or gone to the store to buy some. Not everyone in my town, in my country, in my world has that ability. I am thankful that I have that option in my life.