Precious Commodities: Water and People

Here's what I know.

Freelance journalism isn't always easy, I just get better. When the right opportunity knocks, it can be an extraordinary experience.

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

The need to see it for myself was pressing.

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.

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. But 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 years ~ since April 2014 to be exact ~ and residents are still being challenged on every side.

And still no clean water.

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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**photo credit: Ruth Young Tyler