things that are awesome: running water

As Joni Mitchel sagely observed in the song Yellow Taxi, "you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone." I can certainly attest to this - I came to realize what an amazing thing it is to be able to walk once I was constrained to crutches for a few months last year. I've had many such realizations while travelling, where the countries I've been in lack things that in the US we've come to expect as a given.

So, todays "thing-we-are-really-really-REALLY-lucky-to-have-reliably" is. . . running water! For the past few days in Bocas del Toro, they have been having trouble with the water supply, so we've been without it for as much as a 16-hour period. Let's just say that it's no fun when you go for a run (my roommates and fellow runners can attest to how much I sweat), get under the shower, turn the spigot, and . . . nothing happens. It is no fun, and I am sure my fellow hostel-dwellers were just as upset as I was that I was unable to shower post-run.
In the previous scenario the water came on an hour later, so it wasn't too bad. However, yesterday when I got back from a day at the beach all sweaty, salty, and generally in need of a shower, there was no water. 4 hours later, after dinner, there was still no water. The next morning when I got up, there was STILL no water. At this point I was getting desperate! I can barely describe how excited I was when, an hour later, I walked past the bathroom and heard a shower running. I didn't even tell my roommates, out of fear that they'd take all the water before I got to it!

So, next time you take a shower (or even flush the toilet), be thankful for the fact that you know there is going to be enough water. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to take a second shower. Just because I can. Got to enjoy it while it lasts!!