Water is seemingly everywhere. When we are thirsty, it spews from a spout on the refrigerator. When we want to bathe, it comes out of the faucet at just the right temperature. We depend on it. We are attached to it. Millennials have plastic bottles of water clenched in their hands during most waking hours. But, we take water for granted.
We take for granted water’s abundance. We rest assured it will always be there in amble supply. Ask those folks in California. They will tell you just how precious it is.
We take for granted its importance. Clean, potable water is critical to our health. Streams, lakes, rivers and our seas, provide us sustenance. Our waterways provide transportation of many industrial goods at an affordable cost. These same bodies of water provide entertainment many boaters, swimmers and fishermen.
Most of all, we take for granted its power. Water can transform its force into electrical power. Lighting and heating homes all over the world. Water is one of the most destructive forces in nature as well. Hurricanes, tornadoes, drenching rains cause flooding that can kill and devastate wide areas. Just this past week, West Virginia suffered torrential rains that have damaged or destroyed homes, businesses, small communities and a world-class resort. It will take a long time for this region to recover.
Water. We need it, we enjoy it, we fear it. We should never take it for granted.
My Second Act, Scene One 