Life in the country

As dwellers of a rural ZIP code, my wife and I face challenges that wouldn’t normally cross the mind of an urban American. For instance, our well is going dry.

Most of us count on water coming out of the tap when the faucet is turned on. When you can choose an unending stream of hot or cold water day after day, month after month and year after year you take it for granted. We do not. That is because at my house the water is only on when the electricity is on. Furthermore, the water is only on if you don’t use too much of it. At my house, we can take two showers, run a load of laundry and run the dishwasher. After that, there is no more water.

This is often a good thing – it forces me into a state of conservation mentality. Shaving, brushing my teeth and running the water in the sink have all become activities in which I do not take anything for granted. The water is on long enough to warm up and then goes off while I lather my face and shave. I use the same technique for brushing my teeth – get the brush wet and then get my teeth clean with a few more short bursts to rinse my mouth and the toothbrush at the end of the process.

We are going to have a second well dug to supplement the first but I will never again take the water flowing out of my taps for granted. From my way of thinking this is a healthy approach to anything in life. Taking things for granted is a good recipe for losing them. Whether your spouse or your new car is the thing you take for granted doesn’t matter. If you do not respect and care for the things that make your life bearable they will abandon you when you need them most.

Life in the country tends to reinforce this lesson.

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