Last week Wichita got hit with a boil water advisory. No drinking from the tap, no cooking with it, not even washing your hands without boiling it first.
I didn't think much of it until my body did what it always does. I went home, grabbed a cup,
turned on the faucet, and had to stop myself. Later that day I went to grab ice like I do fifty times a week, and stopped again. Had to clear out the ice machine. Little moments like that kept happening all day, my hand reaching for something I never think twice about, and my brain catching up a half second later. Oh right. Not today.
By the evening I wasn't annoyed anymore. I was thinking about how strange it is that clean water is something I've never once had to think about in my entire life. And then it hit me. That's not normal. Not historically, and not globally. For most of human history, and for millions of people alive right now, this is just life. You don't get to forget about water. You carry it, you boil it, you ration it, you worry about it.
I've had clean water my whole life and I don't often think to say thank you for it.
Earlier this month someone showed me a website that does something similar to what that water advisory did to me. It's called Ordinary Abundance, and it walks you through the quiet miracle of things we never think about, refrigeration, electricity, plumbing, and how recent and rare these gifts actually are in the story of humanity. I'd encourage you to spend a few minutes on it this week. You can find it at ordinaryabundance.com.
Here's what I keep coming back to. Gratitude rarely shows up on its own. It usually takes an
interruption, something breaking or running out, to remind us what we've been holding the whole time. Paul tells the Thessalonians to give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Not thanks for every circumstance, but thanks in the middle of them, even the ones that stop you mid reach for a faucet.
So this week, take a minute. Turn on the tap. Watch the water come out clean, right when you want it, without a second thought. And say thank you. It's a small thing that isn't small at all.
peace,
Nick
I didn't think much of it until my body did what it always does. I went home, grabbed a cup,
turned on the faucet, and had to stop myself. Later that day I went to grab ice like I do fifty times a week, and stopped again. Had to clear out the ice machine. Little moments like that kept happening all day, my hand reaching for something I never think twice about, and my brain catching up a half second later. Oh right. Not today.
By the evening I wasn't annoyed anymore. I was thinking about how strange it is that clean water is something I've never once had to think about in my entire life. And then it hit me. That's not normal. Not historically, and not globally. For most of human history, and for millions of people alive right now, this is just life. You don't get to forget about water. You carry it, you boil it, you ration it, you worry about it.
I've had clean water my whole life and I don't often think to say thank you for it.
Earlier this month someone showed me a website that does something similar to what that water advisory did to me. It's called Ordinary Abundance, and it walks you through the quiet miracle of things we never think about, refrigeration, electricity, plumbing, and how recent and rare these gifts actually are in the story of humanity. I'd encourage you to spend a few minutes on it this week. You can find it at ordinaryabundance.com.
Here's what I keep coming back to. Gratitude rarely shows up on its own. It usually takes an
interruption, something breaking or running out, to remind us what we've been holding the whole time. Paul tells the Thessalonians to give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Not thanks for every circumstance, but thanks in the middle of them, even the ones that stop you mid reach for a faucet.
So this week, take a minute. Turn on the tap. Watch the water come out clean, right when you want it, without a second thought. And say thank you. It's a small thing that isn't small at all.
peace,
Nick