09/07/2022
WHEN WATER WALKED THE ROADS!
There is an old saying in Ireland, "Once you carry your own water you will learn the value of every drop"
Do you remember going to the nearest pump or well as a daily chore to fetch the water?
It was a common sight on country roads well into the 60s. All members of the family were expected to be water carriers and very often you would see women of all ages, in all-weather, laden with one or more often two full buckets.
Women would think nothing of walking miles to fetch the water and never complain. Many would remember family members doing this, and the common denominator was they seldom complained.
Today, if the microwave takes more than five minutes to present a fully cooked meal, there is heartache and complaint!
The fetched water was pure, the exercise was healthy and free, and the value of something so basic and common as water was truly appreciated.
It was a great discipline for those generations to find the value in such things and appreciate the simple but important priorities.
It also taught that the same esteem was due to all living things and that all life has common links and shared dependencies, from the most complex to the simplest.
The high respect and consideration past generations had for each other may have stemmed from this earthy realisation and made them more wholesome and selfless.
Many today could do worse than fetch the water from the well or pump and learn humility and wisdom that fetching your own water does indeed teach you more than the value of the water alone.
