According to the World Health Organization, women and children
around the world often have to carry water for several miles a day*
Getting from the sleet raining down outside my office in Manhattan to the subway and through Grand Central at rush hour with 25 pounds of thrift store and home improvement goods in each hand, wound tightly around my fingers, was tougher than I had anticipated.
To navigate the sea of commuters and tourists, each doubled, extra-large plastic bag was twisted about twice for better handling and control. Subsequently, my mettle and testosterone levels were tested as my fingers turned blue, while I careened through the crowds.
To put my prosaic pain and misery (i.e. bitching and moaning) into perspective, I did a little early morning googling.
According to one video testimony, women, somewhere in an unidentified remote part of Africa, have to carry 5-gallon, 40 lb. buckets full of water atop their head from a mud hole to their village a mile and a half away, three times daily, most of the time with a baby on their back and another in their belly. The World Health Organization adds that nearly everywhere around the globe, collecting water falls to the task of women and children, who often have to carry water for several miles a day for the 1.1 billion people who do not have access to clean drinking water.
Nonetheless and allthemore, my bags were pretty darn heavy.
Rife with my lunchtime list of household purchases, this included a treasure trove courtesy of Goodwill—a new outfit for Milo, an assortment of white ceramic dishes for the house, a woodblock knife carriage, and a small green floral plate, because Chelsea wanted a place to put the spoon we use to stir the honey we drip into our coffee each morning. And, she likes "patterns."
From Home Depot I bought an assortment of safety-ware to prevent Milo from hurting himself during those opportune moments when we’re not watching him; a couple of wood files to fix the back door that scrapes the porch cement; a light for Adela’s closet, because a replacement bulb for the fluorescent light left behind by the previous owners costs only a mere-dollar-less than replacing the entire fixture; and a few other knicks and knacks to fix up the new house and make it our own.
Ultimately, traversing the metropolis proved the easy part, for upon disembarking I realized I had Requa to reckon with. According to Google Maps it is a mere third of a mile, but the steep grade is a bitch. It is a wonder how the residents of hilly San Francisco do it every day.
Then again, they only have fog and an occasional earthquake to deal with (Oh yeah, and they've got them trolleys to help them get up them hills). Us, on the other hand and other coast, well, we’ve got Northeasterns, Hurricanes, and sudden snow storms to stomp through and belly ache about.
According to Google Maps, my daily walk uphill is a
mere third of a mile; its the steep grade that's a bitch.
San Franciscans have it easy. They've only got
fog and an occasional earthquake to deal with.*
*Images courtesy of Clark University and frankmefun.wordpress.com.
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