Precious Commodities: Water and People

Here's what I know.

Freelance journalism isn't always easy, I just get more inquisitive and the research becomes more in depth. When the right opportunity knocks, it can be an extraordinary experience.

Just like people, water is a precious commodity. A non-negotiable.

The opportunity presented itself and I traveled to Michigan and through parts of Flint. Yes, the same Flint ~ and it's highly politicized water. The liquid poison which leads to irreversible health conditions and a slow demise.

I wanted to see it for myself ~ and so I did.

I traveled through communities with boarded-up houses ~ which was once a place where sweet potatoes, turkey and gravy wafted through the kitchen air. The yard that once had children running around playing tag, now became a vacant lot. In other places the grass had spread and grown wild ~ like zoysia grass ~ tolerant to pet urine and feces.

A mindset shift is in progress ~ moving it from
reading and viewing to experiencing it first hand.

Every 5 to 6 blocks there was either a liquor store or a church. I lost count.
The visit to a water distribution site in Flint's 5th Ward, was sobering, at best. The way it works is like this: You pull up in your vehicle. Tell the worker your Flint city address. The worker writes it down on a clipboard and then asks "How many cases of water would you like?" The driver responds. The worker loads cases of Absopure water in the trunk.

It's just that simple. The living conditions are not.

I drank a few bottles of the Absopure water during my stay in Michigan. What I learned is this: It's been more than four years and residents are still being challenged on every side.
What is not always photographed or discussed are those intangible qualities of Flint residents ~ Resiliency. Perseverance. Commitment.

People and water are precious commodities.

Although I did not stay in Flint, it allowed me to have a greater appreciation for the little things I have access to. My precious commodities during this experience were opportunity, networks and clean drinking water.
A mindset shift is in progress. I'm moving from reading and watching a situation ~ to experiencing it first hand.

That is the foundation to gratitude.

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*** Since the publishing of this post, the access to bottled water to families in Flint, Michigan has ceased by order of the local government. ***

*Photo credit: pexels.com and Ruth Young Tyler