Have you gotten so used to certain things on a daily basis that you often took it for granted?
Things such as your water and electricity supply, internet and telecommunication lines are something which our modern society lived, work and thrive in.
But yet, often times we took all these things for granted until it became scarce or taken away from us, disrupting our lives completely.
Then, it jolts us to reality before we realised just how much we can't do without all these creature comforts which we have taken for granted.
For my case, it was my water supply.
I first found out about the water disruption in my area sometime end of last week, when a friend who was staying in my neighbourhood send me a WhatsApp message and a link to an online news article on the water disruption in my area.
My first thought was "Not again??!!"
I recalled the last time I was inconvenienced by the disruption of water supply in my area was about one or two years ago. I had to hunt down several stores just to buy three heavy duty water storage in order to make sure I have enough water for my daily needs such as bathing, cooking and cleaning. I remembered having to be extremely careful over my usage of water as every drop counts.
However, when I looked back it was actually through all these inconveniences in life that makes me learn to view things from a different perspective.
I found new ways to reuse and recycle my water
I reused the water from the washing of my clothes for toilet use, the cleaning of toilets and bathrooms, etc
I found ideas on how to maximize my water usage
I dipped all my dirty dishes into a large basin to remove the dirt first, before scrubbing it with the dishwashing liquid. After scrubbing it, I rinsed off the dirt and grime away by cleaning it in another large basin until all dirt is removed. By doing so, I saved at least 50% of water usage instead of allowing the tap to run freely.
I became more conscious of how I use my water
I used to let the wash basin tap run while I brushed my teeth and cleansed my face in the bathroom. Now, I turned off the water tap each time to prevent wastage.
Whenever I see any burst water pipes or water leakages in public places, I will alert the relevant authorities to inform them to prevent water wastage.
I learned to prepare for any eventualities
I learned that one must always be prepared at all times for any circumstances in life no matter what happens. As such, I have a permanent water storage tank that is filled with water just in case there are any unannounced water cuts in my area.
I learned to be grateful
I learned to be grateful for even the simplest things life such as appreciating the water we have without which, we would not be able to keep our bodies nourished, cleansed our bodies and perform our day to day activities.
What have you taken for granted lately?
What has it taught you?
KarinzDailyGrind is filling up the water tanks in her home to prepare for the water disruption in her neighbourhood. When she is not busy getting her hands dirty indulging in her passion projects, she blogs about life, psychology, motivation, business and marketing on Steemit.
If you resonate with any of her posts, do Upvote | Follow | Comment | Resteem and tagged her on Steemit. She promised to drop by and say "Hi!"
Also, I love the picture you put at the end of your blogs. I've been meaning to tell you that for weeks. That red looks wonderful on you ... and your smile looks so cheerful and mischievous -- like you're planning you next good deed ... or practical joke. (grin)
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Haha..thanks @enchantedspirit for your compliments. I wanted a more human touch to it. So instead of hiding behind a nick, I prefer to just let people know that it is a real person behind the blog just like them who goes through the ups and downs of life. This blog is my way of documenting my journey and hopefully, some day I will be able to look back and be grateful to see how far I've come...
We live in the desert ... in the mountains of New Mexico (USA.) Water issues are constant here. I learned in our chronic and worsening droughts to make use of water in ways city-folk might find amusing.
Water that I cook vegetables in either goes into making soup or becomes water for the pets. (All those wonderful vitamins do some good instead of being poured down the drain.) Bath water becomes water for flushing the toilet or watering the trees.
Rinse water from the washing machine becomes the starting water for the next load. It's just soapy water anyway. (Yes, it means I have to collect the water in jugs. And yes, it's inconvenient. And yes, we've "adjusted" our washing machine so it doesn't just go through the cycle automatically. It waits for us to put it into its next phase.) Water from the laundry is also channeled out to water the trees.
In the times when it does rain, I collect rainwater from the gutter downspouts in buckets and use it on the trees several days later. (Yes, I have dozens of buckets, and, yes, I get wet.)
The shower doesn't just "run" while we're in it. We get wet, soap up, put shampoo in our hair. turn off the water ... then we rinse off. Turn off the water again. Repeat. It means showers aren't nearly as pleasant -- or as long. (They used to be a fun kind of self-care, but they're not any more.)
It becomes a function not a luxury -- and I miss the pleasures of it, honestly. My husband and I also shower together to conserve the water you waste when you wait for it to "warm up." Showering together actually does create less waste than showering separately.
It adds to the hassle of life ... but not as much as having to wait hours for the well to refill. And certainly not as much as being without water at all. But you do learn to appreciate "the necessities of life." I enjoyed your article. Welcome to my world!!
Wow @enchantedspirit. You just offered me a glimpse to your world. I can't believe how inconvenient it must have been for you since you have to be so mindful of your own water consumption to avoid wastage. Than you for sharing. It makes me more appreciative of what I have now and I totally have nothing else to complain since I get my source of water directly from the water taps.
I guess they still have not solved the water issues huh? I wish we could have self sufficient tools in our homes like rain water collection and solar panels
Yes, we can if we are staying on landed property. My friends are already monetising through their solar panels and they r collecting rainwater to wash cars, water plants as well as clean their homes. It is very important to be mindful of our natural resources as it will become scarce one fine day
Beautiful article, thank you
Thanks @whatthedeal for commenting!
Thanks @whatthedeal for stopping by and complimenting
It's incredibility true. Nothing should be take things as granted, always prepare just in case.
Yup precisely. And this goes for our health too
Yes it happens all the time! First world problem, taking things for granted. Thanks for the reminder and may your tanks be filled with water and gratefulness always!
Thanks @khimgoh! May your tanks be filled with love and abundance too! :)
Luckily we have our own water supply from a spring on the mountain. It did dry up once so we built bigger tanks.
Hi @pennsif, spring water fresh from the mountains are the best. I loved collecting spring water whenever I go for hiking and drinking from the flowing mountain is totally refreshing. However, these days people are wary of drinking water direct from the mountains due to the possibility of contamination and leprosis
good post,
stay tune to make the nice post like this,
btw thanks for information you've shared
have a good for you
Thanks @mirfaner for your compliments. I did like to think that we should never take anything for granted. Even the simplest of all things, as someday we will look back and realised that they were the big things
This is such an important and lovely post. Gratitude and being content with what you have is what I am always working on as well and trying to nurture it in my son too. I have been through all the times you mentioned and that has taught me to save everything and be thankful for even a drop of water and a grain of rice. You brought back memories of my childhood with this post. Great work. Upvoted it 100%, will be resteeming it and adding it in my curation post today.
Thank you @sharoonyasir for selecting my post to be part of The Sneaky Trail and thank you so much for your generous upvotes. I follow and read your blog from time to time and it's awesome to see you actively participating on the Steemit platform particularly after you won the Steemit ambassador contest. Keep it up and I look forward to reading more lovely post from you!
Natural human behaviour. We appreciate it after we lose it.
Yup, hence it is good to self reflect every now and then and make course corrections
A nice little reminder that some things around us aren't always going to be there! I've never had the uncertainty of "how am I going to get my water?" and it's very worrying to think that something could happen and it would all switch off.
I think your best bit of advice was to stay grateful. This is very important and it helps you to be mindful of what's around you.
Nice article @karinsdailygrind! I really appreciate the perpective shifter.
Thanks @calumam. Yes, I can't emphasise how important it is to count our blessing daily and to be grateful for the little things in life
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Water is really important. What a great lesson!
Thanks to @sharoonyasir, this post was resteemed and highlighted in today's edition of The Daily Sneak.
Thank you for your efforts to create quality content!
Thank you @sneakyninja for the feature and upvotes! Really appreciate it