They Paved Paradise, and Put Up a Parking Lot

This weekend, I was reminded just how lucky I have it in life. The worst thing that could possibly ever happen to me, happened this weekend. Not only to me, but also my whole family. It was the most dreadful event ever and caused us such traumatic pain that I do not know how we will recover. I spent my nights sobbing and my days moaning and reminiscing on an easier time in life, before this fateful incident.

The hot water heater in my house broke.

Okay, obviously I was over-exaggerating, but only to get my point across. You really have no idea how bad it is until it happens to you! I mean, imagine this: You wake up, snuggled in an oversized hoodie, with a beautiful warm comforter that your mother made you wrapped around you like a blanket of safety. A smile is stretched across your face as your hands extend from either side of you and you let out a soft yawn-, not an “I'm tired” yawn, but an “I'm content with waking up and super happy” yawn. You roll over, eventually drifting out of bed and going downstairs. You walk into the bathroom, turn on the lights, shut/lock the door, and turn on the water for the shower.

Ice shoots out of the shower head. Yes, ice. That is how cold my showers have been for the past three days.

You fall to the floor crying, asking God why he has done this to you and you enter a panic mode. You can't shower in ice! But you cannot go out in public with that strange afro/dead animal looking thing atop your head. You have no choice but to step in the shower.

When the water hits you foot, you instantly start to freeze. Goosebumps plague your skin as a devilish reminder of how cold you are. You think back to the times where you were warm, lying in bed. As you begin washing your hair, it only gets worse, the cold water beats your head like hail in a snowstorm and you feel a cold chill down your spine, but you stick it out under the freezing faucet. The cold water trickles down from your hair to your back, causing you to cry out in agony because of the pain in the ice-water, but you have no choice. You must get clean.

As I was going through all of this in my shower, I thought of the little, starving children in Africa (that is usually my go-to when I want to remember how good my life is). I thought about how they would kill for a shower this cold in the summer months in Africa, but they have no relief. Upon thinking of this scenario, I found myself straightening my posture (I was curled over from the cold water beating my back), placing my hands on my hips and looking to the sky in a Superman pose. I said to myself, (in Superman's voice, of course):

“Kristina! You can and will make it through this shower. You have to; you need to be strong, now. Stick out this shower for the little kids in Africa. Show them that you are grateful for a shower as cold as this, and that you admire their spirit as they accomplish everything they do. Make them proud!”

Good thought, right? Well, when this didn't work and I was still cowering away from the cold water emerging from the shower-head, I attempted a different approach. I imagined that, No, this water isn't cold at all; In fact, it is piping hot! This had better results. I managed to finish the shower. It was probably the quickest shower that I have ever taken, also. I want to say it was about five minutes of just excruciating pain. As soon as I got out of the shower, I bundled up in a sweatshirt, coat, hat, gloves, scarf, two pairs of socks, boots, leggings, jeans, sweatpants, and a ski mask. I was still cold. Okay, obviously, again, just kidding about that. But I did put a sweatshirt and a coat on and I was still frozen to the bone for a good four hours.

The next day, my shower lasted a good two minutes. My will power had run out and I could not last another second in that ice box. I hopped out just about as soon as I hopped in.

My shower today was a tease. When I turned the water on, Glory-be and Halleluiah, it was warm! I jumped into the shower without a moment to lose and began washing my hair whilst singing joyous hymns. As I was rinsing the shampoo from my hair, that's when it happened. In a matter of seconds-, no, milliseconds, my shower went from warm and comfortable, to an ice box, yet again. I jumped away from the spouting water with an expression of hatred upon my face. I shook my fist at the shower-head and cursed it. “Why are you so cold?!” I screamed. In a matter of seconds, I was turning off the water and getting out of the shower.

Just typing this to all of you lovely people has turned my bones to ice, and goosebumps are beginning to appear on my arms. Remembering those horrid times from my ice cold shower. My mother is calling the Water-heater-technician-people today and it should be fixed shortly. I only hope I do not have to spend another minute in that freezing water.

In all seriousness though, it really did make me appreciate what I have. Some people don't get showers at all and some people take cold showers every day, so I'm thankful for what I have. It's amazing to me that certain, even miniscule, events in your life can make you appreciate what you have that much more. From a faulty water-heater to losing someone close to you; the impacts may be different, but it conveys the same type of message: You really don't know what you've got until it's gone.

And for all of you people who were laughing throughout this whole post because me saying how horrendous a cold shower was, seems, well, silly to you; I implore you to take a cold shower. I'm not just talking cool water, here. I'm saying the faucet has to be all the way on the “C”. And no chickening out. A full shower, with ice cold water. After you have done that, then feel free to judge. There are so many things we take for granted in life. Look around in your life today; what do you take for granted?

K.G. Sunshine