THANK YOU FOR HOT WATER

I haven’t written a blog in several months mostly because I haven’t really had anything to say. But tonight I do. Yesterday at 1:40 pm, the Orleans Parish, a division of Louisiana that serves New Orleans, discovered a leak in a 30 inch water line. When Robyn called to tell me, my immediate thought was – so what.  Water leaks flood the gutters on almost every street almost all the time. Pot holes are uncountable, sidewalks are dangerous fall hazards, and riding on the side streets in many areas is like a rumble seat ride in the 1920s on the back roads of WV. With a show of concern for the tax paying public, the officials ordered a Boil Water Emergency. My second thought is, WHY? I moved to New Orleans five years ago and the street in front has two leaks that seemingly never go away. The road continues to deteriorate and they show up occasionally with a repair crew that blocks the road for a day or two. In a few days, sometimes hours, water runs the gutter and fills the pot holes again. My guess is someone calls and our street shows on their repair list to await a turn with a crew. No one worries about the bacteria that MAY enter the system. If we need to boil water because of the water leaks, we should have been boiling it for at least five years.

Now to be fair, News Orleans sits below sea level on a great swamp that makes infrastructure difficult to build and maintain. Natives, who know and love the tropics and the rich, historic culture of South Louisiana, are quick to defend the turf and are equal to the task of returning to normal when disaster invades. We escaped the hurricanes last season, but we have experienced freezing temperatures that MAY contribute to the water line emergencies. However, that accounts for the last few weeks of mishaps. To be honest, along with many other cities in the country, NOLA struggles with the affects of unwise choices of leaders. Leaders who use the tax dollars and their influence to insure their future in politics rather than the welfare of the city. Of course, not all politicians are guilty, but an example is the removal of statures that offended some people, but cost tax dollars to move. Could those dollars have helped to avoid the current emergency?

Yes, the current emergency – any normal thinking person would expect that a failure in the water and sewer system should be short-lived considering the bright, sunshiny weather in which the leak occurred. A city the size of NOLA should be equipped to test water on site. In fact, early in the afternoon on Tuesday, Robyn told me to avoid washing my hands or any other interaction with tap water. Instructions included a special warning for those with rashes or immune disorders. So – I dawned my plastic gloves and avoided washing my hands, drank water from plastic bottles, and waited patiently for the all-clear.  My blood pressure began to rise when I realized at nightfall that I would have to skip my hot shower.  Surely, it would be over by morning.

Well – not so! Okay, I admit, I’m a spoiled “princess” who appreciates comfort. Denied my hot shower and shampoo, my head itches, water from a bottle, back with the gloves, brush teeth with a bottle, still no word. My laundry day, must delay- the water may be tainted. I wait and finally look up the Department of Sewer and Water on the internet. In viewing minutes of the end of the year meetings, it appears they have work force problems. Not able to find qualified personnel. I worked for a public service utility for several years, and I remember the good excuses we could offer in the absence of a reason.

On Wednesday evening, Mid-week Bible Study begins at 7:00pm. At 5:00pm, Robyn checked to find the emergency continued. No water, no shower, bad hair day, painful stiff-neck, and uncomfortable blue plastic gloves that got on my last nerve, the challenge became too much for this 84-year-old lady. I called to cancel my ride to services, wrapped myself in my trusty, warm robe and pouted. In the background from the TV, I heard two words, Puerto Rico, and I thought, here I sit and stress with a downtrodden attitude because I’m inconvenienced without water at my fingertips for two days. The real truth is that many of my Christian Sisters living in places less privileged than NOLA will go to Bible Study tonight without a shower, they may study by lantern light, and probably feel hunger pains from not having enough food. Forgive me, God, for complaining. I can’t do anything for them except pray, but I can do something about me.

Robyn boiled water and placed it in my shower. I waited for it to cool, and took an old fashioned sponge bath, like I did as a kid in WV, in the middle of winter when the upstairs bathroom was just too cold to take a bath. I’m warm, had a good dinner, and feel refreshed. I will remember to pray for those sisters in under-privileged areas who bathe in creeks, wash clothes on wash-boards, forage for enough food to feed their families, and sing God’s praises as they work. My inconvenience will end soon, but their plight has no end in sight. Thank you, God, for hot water, and I'm praying it’s there in the morning.