disconnected

I think everyone should have to go without plumbing once in a while. And household appliances, too. Just for a few days.

And camping doesn't count. It has to be in your own house. When you're camping, it's so removed from your everyday existence that it's hard to take insights and lessons home with you.

We've been doing renovations again.

It's been almost 2 weeks since I've had a stove. The fridge is on the patio. We just got a new toilet upstairs yesterday.

It gave me great anxiety to go without running water for a day. It was a hardship to have to go downstairs in the middle of the night to pee. Having all my dishes and canned goods on the living room floor is a pain in the ass.

When I have my house back in order it will feel like such a luxury. It will be a luxury. I forget regularly how much luxury I live with on a daily basis. It's good to remember that I can actually live without a dish washer, or a toaster. It's good to have to think about how much water or electricity are necessary for survival.

The majority of the people on this planet are aware of how much clean water they've used in a day, and how much work they need to do in order to eat, and where their poop goes.

Most of us North Americans act as if we believe that water and electricity magically flow out of the walls, that our homes generate their own heat, and that when we flush the toilet our waste disappears into thin air.

I have been reminded that it's just not true.