Water Gratitude, Fiji (March 8, 2026)
“Don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone …” Cinderella's 1988 power ballad rings so true today. Yesterday morning, we went to turn on water from the tap and nothing came out. The first attempt was made to fix the problem while we were at the Outrigger resort (see related post), but the problem wasn’t resolved.
So today we enter our second day without water to the house. And yet, I spent the morning doing the things I would typically do. I made breakfast for the family and washed the dishes. How? Using saved tap water from the 1-hour window when we did have water last night. Yes, the water came on temporarily as Pacific Harbor runs its water periodically so that residents can fill their tanks. During that time, the water came on despite the pump being offline.
Today, we used hot tub water to fill the back of the toilet tanks to flush when absolutely necessary. I’m sure if we were staying at a resort, none of these problems would be apparent to us, but choosing to stay at an AirBnb, we want to experience what life is like truly living here … not just visiting as a tourist. So this is the full Fiji lived experience — even in a high-end home in the hills.
This water pump ensures the plumbing works inside the house
Rather than being upset that the water isn’t flowing, I’m taking this moment to experience my deep gratitude for the nearly 19,500 days I’ve experienced free flowing running water without questioning it. Sure, I’ve lived through droughts in California where, as a young boy, I learned about conservative toilet flushing (i.e. “If it’s yellow, let it mellow. If it’s brown, flush it down.”) We wouldn’t run our sprinklers and watch all the non-native plants struggle (and sometimes die).
As I shared with the family, “This is all part of the global experience.” Specifically, this is our opportunity to experience first hand how others live and the kinds of challenges they must overcome in day-to-day living. This can be a wonderful reminder (trigger) for being grateful for how many modern convinces we regularly take for granted.
So today, I’m reflecting on how good I have it and have had it most of my entire life. This experience is having all of us slow down and make sure we enjoy the little things that are often overlooked and not nearly appreciated as much as we can and should be appreciating them.
