You never know how much you miss the modern conveniences until you don’t have them anymore.

In my case Tuesday, it was hot water. There’s nothing like realizing your aspirations of a luxuriating underneath near-scalding streams are like the vapor – gone as quickly as it takes to step into the freezing cold shower and jump back out again.

Interestingly enough, me and mine had just spent the bulk of our time watching post-apocalyptic horrors. And let me tell you right now, those people had worse problems than having no hot water.

Our first foray was one titled “Book of Eli.”

Now, I’m sure everyone saw the ominous previews of Denzel Washington going ninja-star crazy on the bad guys in an effort to protect the “book.”

For those who didn’t, the movie is the story of a lone man (a.k.a. Denzel) and his fight across what-used-to-be America to protect a sacred book that holds the secrets to saving humankind (a.k.a., the Bible).

I won’t spoil it for those who haven’t seen it, but I will say that at least it had a positive ending.

Now the last one – “The Road” – was a different story all together.

Based on a Cormac McCarthy novel, “The Road” follows a father and son journeying together across a grim post-apocalyptic landscape, some years after a great, unexplained cataclysm has destroyed civilization and almost all life on Earth – except for the cannibals.

The two, realizing that they will not survive another winter, go south, through a desolate American landscape along a vacant highway, toward the sea, sustained only by the vague hope of finding warmth and more “good people” like them.

It is a truly gut-wrenching story that makes you question what would you do in a similar situation.

I’m fussing about not having hot water, which was fixed by the time I made it home Tuesday, while those people fought off not only cannibals but also the overwhelming decision on whether or not to kill themselves to avoid facing a world without hope.

It is a great book and a great movie, although neither is for the weak-hearted.

Sometimes in life, we all need a reality check. We complain when our food is too hot or too cold; when the traffic is bad; or when things aren’t going our way.

We live in a world where it’s OK to have more than one car, television and computer and where instant connection is available with your next-door neighbor or someone across the globe.

The day will come when those luxuries are gone forever. That is a given. Some might argue that the day is closer than you think, and if one looks back over our cinematic history, it’s an arguable point.

Just 12 short years ago, our most terrifying apocalyptic story was Armageddon’s asteroid. At least that movie had a happy ending.

Now we’ve got cannibals, and it makes me wonder.