Ode to indoor plumbing
The author of The House on Mango Street and many other books, Sandra Cisneros, who grew up with two parents and six brother, says that she never again wants to share a bathroom with another male. She often talks about the family moving into a home with running water and where 4 people did not have to share a bed.
On this morning which boasts a temperature of 12 F I awoke in a full size bed all by myself trusting the central heating system which is now connected to a smart thermostat to order the furnace to raise the indoor temperature to a warm 68 F I do not have to dress to make a trip to the outhouse which has to be shared with various spiders and other neighbors. I made my way to a bathroom with sink, shower, running hot and cold water and a toilet that flushes. I finish my morning absolutions and find my way to the kitchen where I turn on the electric lights and then the electric coffeepot which I set up the night before to brew my morning cup of coffee. No generic Folgers for me - freshly ground fair trade coffee beans.
I return to my bedroom to dress for the gym. There is no need to don warm work clothes to chop and fetch wood, unfreeze our modern pump before filling the bucket, or go feed the chickens. I will get my exercise in the expensive gym reserved for us privileged few who can afford the $60.00 a month fee or are lucky enough to have an insurance policy which provides a silver sneaker admittance to many gyms. I will drive my car with less than 18,000 miles to the gym without needing to concern myself with the question of it starting or having sufficient gas for all the places I need to travel today.
Before l put on my hand knitted cap, and my warm winter coat I will sit down at my Mac desktop to connect with people near and far.
When I return from the gym I will take food from my well stocked electric refrigerator, prepare breakfast on my gas stove in my copper coated skillet on the gas range, pour orange juice, and sit down to eat while I read the local news on my Kindle. I will also take medication and recommended vitamins.
After scrubbing the kitchen, bath, hall and office I will go to my closet to pick out a work costume – shirt, tie, pants, socks, dress shoes. I recall no closets in the three room house of my childhood, but then there were at most two sets of clothes for each of us – work and school/church. No need for the large closets which now hold many shirts, trousers, shoes, and suits and a large dresser with socks, underwear, gym clothes and casual clothes.
Many will wake this morning with none of these luxuries. They are indeed luxuries which I can easily take for granted; take for granted as if I am more deserving than others; as if I earned them and others do not.
What will I do with the gift of energy and health? How do endure the weight of the responsibility of these gifts? What does it mean to be my brother’s and sister’s keeper?
The luck of the draw determined the circumstances of my childhood. The luck of the draw gave me the physical health, the ability to learn a trade and the absence of a mental or emotional dis ease.
How dare I not embrace the day. I am again reminded of the admonition of the poet, Nikki Giovanni: “How dare you have more than your share of the resources and not even bother to enjoy them.” (my memory and not an exact quote)
I promise the God of my understanding.
I promise the gods.
I promise the ancestors who brought me to this moment.
I promise to dance a dance of gratitude.
I promise to share my wealth.
I promise to peel away my coat of arrogance.
I promise to chant an ode to indoor plumbing.
Written February 22, 2020
Jimmy F Pickett
Coachpickett.org
The author of The House on Mango Street and many other books, Sandra Cisneros, who grew up with two parents and six brother, says that she never again wants to share a bathroom with another male. She often talks about the family moving into a home with running water and where 4 people did not have to share a bed.
On this morning which boasts a temperature of 12 F I awoke in a full size bed all by myself trusting the central heating system which is now connected to a smart thermostat to order the furnace to raise the indoor temperature to a warm 68 F I do not have to dress to make a trip to the outhouse which has to be shared with various spiders and other neighbors. I made my way to a bathroom with sink, shower, running hot and cold water and a toilet that flushes. I finish my morning absolutions and find my way to the kitchen where I turn on the electric lights and then the electric coffeepot which I set up the night before to brew my morning cup of coffee. No generic Folgers for me - freshly ground fair trade coffee beans.
I return to my bedroom to dress for the gym. There is no need to don warm work clothes to chop and fetch wood, unfreeze our modern pump before filling the bucket, or go feed the chickens. I will get my exercise in the expensive gym reserved for us privileged few who can afford the $60.00 a month fee or are lucky enough to have an insurance policy which provides a silver sneaker admittance to many gyms. I will drive my car with less than 18,000 miles to the gym without needing to concern myself with the question of it starting or having sufficient gas for all the places I need to travel today.
Before l put on my hand knitted cap, and my warm winter coat I will sit down at my Mac desktop to connect with people near and far.
When I return from the gym I will take food from my well stocked electric refrigerator, prepare breakfast on my gas stove in my copper coated skillet on the gas range, pour orange juice, and sit down to eat while I read the local news on my Kindle. I will also take medication and recommended vitamins.
After scrubbing the kitchen, bath, hall and office I will go to my closet to pick out a work costume – shirt, tie, pants, socks, dress shoes. I recall no closets in the three room house of my childhood, but then there were at most two sets of clothes for each of us – work and school/church. No need for the large closets which now hold many shirts, trousers, shoes, and suits and a large dresser with socks, underwear, gym clothes and casual clothes.
Many will wake this morning with none of these luxuries. They are indeed luxuries which I can easily take for granted; take for granted as if I am more deserving than others; as if I earned them and others do not.
What will I do with the gift of energy and health? How do endure the weight of the responsibility of these gifts? What does it mean to be my brother’s and sister’s keeper?
The luck of the draw determined the circumstances of my childhood. The luck of the draw gave me the physical health, the ability to learn a trade and the absence of a mental or emotional dis ease.
How dare I not embrace the day. I am again reminded of the admonition of the poet, Nikki Giovanni: “How dare you have more than your share of the resources and not even bother to enjoy them.” (my memory and not an exact quote)
I promise the God of my understanding.
I promise the gods.
I promise the ancestors who brought me to this moment.
I promise to dance a dance of gratitude.
I promise to share my wealth.
I promise to peel away my coat of arrogance.
I promise to chant an ode to indoor plumbing.
Written February 22, 2020
Jimmy F Pickett
Coachpickett.org
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