The water from the hill where I make my home is not exactly bad, but it is unattractive. It’s filled with iron and the water is always a bit off-color, but at certain times of the year, it’s a reddish brown like the rocks. Sometimes it looks like mud.
It’s been this way ever since we had the well dug.
Nearly 20 years ago, my former husband and I bought this amazing piece of land, a rocky hilltop with vistas in all directions, and we bought it at an unbelievably low price, maybe because the town is pretty isolated. Reno, Nevada, the nearest city is some two hours away. The population is less than 10,000.
I’ve loved this hill since I first saw it.
Eventually, we were able to put up a house, three bedrooms, lots of light. We lived there until 1999 and raised two sons. When we moved to San Diego, we kept the house and rented it out.
I’ve been back here going on four years now. After my husband and I parted ways, this became my home, and, in truth, it became my sanctuary, a place where I healed from a broken marriage and all the losses that seemed to have accumulated over the years.
But I never did anything about the water, until yesterday when I called Steve’s Pumps, the same well-driller who drilled the well all those years ago.
The week before a friend and I were standing in his kitchen having a conversation. The fan above the stove was whirring, so we were both talking louder than usual and having trouble hearing each other. All of a sudden the fan just stopped. We stared at each other. It had been such a loud, annoying noise but neither of us had been aware of it until it stopped.
“I guess this is how a person gets used to pain,” he said. “After a while they just learn to ignore it.”
Pain, water pumps and wells might be a bit of a leap, but I thought of that conversation after I hung up from Steve’s Pumps.
There’s a solution the business manager, Steve’s wife, assured me and laid out the options.
It’s fairly simple. It will be a bit of an expense in my already tight budget, but how much nicer the place will be with clear water. And why did I wait so long to take care of it?
I like to think of myself as someone who finishes things, but in truth, I’m a procrastinator. I do it by stretching myself too thin, taking on too many projects and some of them never get finished. It’s procrastination just the same. It simply feels better to take care of things, so why does it take me so long sometimes?
What is the solution to procrastination? How do you procrastinate?
Good morning Jordan! We have such incredible water at our ranch, we don’t even need to filter it, so your post caught my eye. As for procrastination, years ago a spiritual teacher suggested that rather than overthink something that I know needs to happen, to “Take the body and the mind will follow.” Someone else reinforced this years later by telling me to “Say ‘yes’ until there’s a reason to say ‘no.’ Hope these help! As for your water, maybe it’s just a matter of going a little deeper. Believe our house and stock tank well got good water at 80 feet, but we’re not in the mountains either! 🙂
hmmm, I was hoping that you’d tell us what the solution to the water problem would be. But it was good to learn a bit more about your life, and I’m happy for you in your beautiful sanctuary. Liked the little Buddha among the boulders. Wishing you many pleasures of spring.
I think it will be wonderful to have clear water – I had rusty water in NYC from time to time, and it’s true, you do just get used to it. Procrastinate? Ugh! No solutions here, but I like Kathy’s suggestion above – getting out our heads is often a good step/idea, no? (Hmm, getting out of our heads as IDEA, or as a STEP!) Nice to hear a little about the background of you & your place in the world.
Thank you — Yes, I am looking forward to clear water. When I lived back east I remember having a well, but the water was pretty good. Of course, I know it’s not well water in NYC! I don’t think there’s anything really wrong with well water, it just doesn’t look very good.
So true. It is easy for me to see how the people around me are getting in their own way, and I suspect I’m doing the same thing, yet I can’t seem to see it.
Your hill is beautiful~ I’m glad you have found a place of sanctuary to heal the wounds that accumulate.
Cloud and Mountain 
Good morning Jordan! We have such incredible water at our ranch, we don’t even need to filter it, so your post caught my eye. As for procrastination, years ago a spiritual teacher suggested that rather than overthink something that I know needs to happen, to “Take the body and the mind will follow.” Someone else reinforced this years later by telling me to “Say ‘yes’ until there’s a reason to say ‘no.’ Hope these help! As for your water, maybe it’s just a matter of going a little deeper. Believe our house and stock tank well got good water at 80 feet, but we’re not in the mountains either! 🙂
Nice suggestion–thanks! My well is pretty deep already. I think iron in the water is fairly common around here so you’re luck to have such good water.
Your story is an emblematic one! How many solutions might be at hand if only we could “see “the problems…….
Thank you for the share!
Thank you for commenting! That’s so true–we often can’t see problems that are right in front of us.
hmmm, I was hoping that you’d tell us what the solution to the water problem would be. But it was good to learn a bit more about your life, and I’m happy for you in your beautiful sanctuary. Liked the little Buddha among the boulders. Wishing you many pleasures of spring.
Sorry to disappoint you, Shimon! The solution is a filtration system. It should clean it up quite a bit.
I think it will be wonderful to have clear water – I had rusty water in NYC from time to time, and it’s true, you do just get used to it. Procrastinate? Ugh! No solutions here, but I like Kathy’s suggestion above – getting out our heads is often a good step/idea, no? (Hmm, getting out of our heads as IDEA, or as a STEP!) Nice to hear a little about the background of you & your place in the world.
Thank you — Yes, I am looking forward to clear water. When I lived back east I remember having a well, but the water was pretty good. Of course, I know it’s not well water in NYC! I don’t think there’s anything really wrong with well water, it just doesn’t look very good.
That IS how a person gets used to pain! Really great observation!! It is, just exactly that.
Great writing 🙂
Thank you. I also thought that was a very perceptive comment about pain. Made me thingk!
So true. It is easy for me to see how the people around me are getting in their own way, and I suspect I’m doing the same thing, yet I can’t seem to see it.
Your hill is beautiful~ I’m glad you have found a place of sanctuary to heal the wounds that accumulate.