It’s not just not being able to shower….. Although soon that will start to reach a fever pitch for hundreds of thousands of people.

Do you realize how much you use water? Put plastic bags over all your faucets and see how long it takes to start feeling discouraged.

And then there’s the funky cough syrup smell when we open the lid of our toilet. We don’t know how much is in the water or how dangerous it is. We don’t know when we can use our water again. We got five gallons for ourselves and five gallons for both sets of our parents today 90 miles away. But it might not be enough? Who knows! Everyone is trying to roll with it, and water stations are set up.

So it’s frustrating and it’s scary, and not only can we not use tap water for bathing, we can’t do dishes or laundry or cook. Well, unless you don’t mind doing dishes by hand with precious bottles of water.

Restaurants are closed. Schools were closed Friday. We have a lot of questions, a lot of inconveniences, and most people have really seemed to be handling it in pretty good spirits, all things considering.

And it’s a powerful reminder of how incredible it is to usually have access to such a wonderful thing as beautiful, odorless, potable water, because so many people in the world don’t have that luxury.

But right now we have greasy hair. We’re scared. We’re coping. Waiting. Trying to get out of town or just distract ourselves.

Right now, to fantasize about a hot shower or bath is just a comforting way to visualize the end of this bizarre, stressful, and confusing experience.