I just finished reading Gretchen Rubin's "The Happiness Project." I thought that since the perpetual rain of the rainy season has me a little down that it might be an insightful read. There wasn't anything that I found revolutionary in there, but I did like her advice: "don't postpone a task that you can do in one minute." I want to try and apply this to my life.
She mentions how periods of deprivation sharpen pleasure which is more commonly known as absence makes the heart grow fonder. I don't know if this has even been more true than my feeling towards being able to get into a hot shower whenever I want. I MISS IT! The general layout of my house is very open every individual room opens up to the outside. Therefore, as soon as I step foot out the door of my room I am outside. This means that I sometimes need full rain gear to go to the bathroom. There is also no light in my bathroom so at night I have to wear my headlamp. Anyway, there is a shower downstairs, but sometimes (often) there is no water. This means no water for showering, flushing the toilet, or using the sink. This usually doesn't last for more than a day at a time. The water tank that is connected to the shower is heated by my host mom's wood burning stove (ovens are used for storage - there is no refrigerator in my house which is why I told them I am lactose intolerant and can't eat the cheese that they pull out of the oven). So there is only hot water for a shower when there is water AND when my host mom has just made a meal on the wood burning stove. I take a lot of bucket baths. Luckily for me if I really need a shower sometimes my host mom will heat up a bucket of water for me to use. I guess this is kind of what you expect of being in the Peace Corps. I'm just happy that I have internet and a cellphone so that I can communicate!
I just got this e-mail from Urban Outfitters and laughed a little...oh if only they knew
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| Luckily my bathroom is also a small step up from this one here |
You could teach Urban Outfitters a thing or two about faking a shower. Thank you for the reminder that a hot shower is to be appreciated and not taken for granted.
ReplyDeleteI think there are a bunch of people who are glad you have internet - your blogging is a great read.
I'm going to send Gretchen Rubin your blog link. Great post honey - a good reminder for all of us to appreciate the things we take for granted. If Gretchen is accurate, your pleasures will be plenty sharpened. I suggest reading Wild next as it will make you feel better about your shower and bathroom arrangement. Mom
ReplyDeleteOr, as Joni Mitchell famously sang, "You don't know what you've got 'til it's gone." And often it's the simple things in life.
ReplyDeleteBut you knew that it was not going to be Camp Netimus when you signed on.
Here's a choice: unlimited hot shower in exchange for cell service!
Amen to good plumbing! May we never take it for granted. I remember wearing a headlamp to the bathroom in Nepal. Thank you for a good memory Meg.
ReplyDeleteKathy.
Grandmother had a great appreciation for a hot shower. She always said that knowing that she could take a shower was what got her out of bed in the morning.
ReplyDeleteMeg, I thought of you last weekend when we had no hot water. Even though we somehow survived 2 years with cold showers in El Salvador, neither Tracy nor I could brave a cold shower last weekend. We went to Zak's house!
ReplyDeleteI think the cold showers were one of the most difficult parts of Peace Corps. Hang in there.
Janann