“When the well’s dry, we know the worth of water.” –
~Benjamin Franklin
Of course, we all know we should drink more water. Many tell me this. They do not look any healthier than I do, but I concede. Water has been the steadfast drink for millennia. Long before chemicalized and sugary drinks, there was water. Way before anyone thought to use it to make alcohol products… Yep. Water. Even before we thought of mixing hot water with leaves or coffee beans.
Okay. I get it. Water has existed longer than anything else, and you cannot improve water. Smart packaging does not make water better for you. Maybe just more conveniently used.
But this is not what I’m thinking about.
Find a serene body of water, toss in something huge (rock, log, body), and then wait for it… What happens? Before you realize it, water has returned to looking like it did before the crash. Give it a few minutes. The scattered drops reunite, and the concentric waves settle down. The level never changes.
Maybe that’s why most of us enjoy being around a body of water. Some like the beach and the saltiness of the water. I prefer a mountain stream or pond. Others enjoy being on top of it like Superman, and others want to be Aquaman and plumb its depth. But we all use water to wash and cleanse, to drink and rehydrate, and to soak in for other medicinal uses.
One thought is that we will never run out of water, and the amount of water is constant – only it changes the state between a liquid and gas. Others think more water is constantly created from hydrogen sources within the earth’s magma and eventually enters the stream of water that we know.
But since all of life is made up of water, it does us well to consider the properties of water that make it so important.
A Few Simple Thoughts
Water heals itself. Give it time, and it returns to what it was before that propeller thrashed it apart or the boat’s bow sliced through it like a hot knife in butter. Pond scum-laden water is made fresher by new sources and movement.
Water reunites. Water may be displaced from its closest neighbor, but it seems to know how to come back together, mingling with new droplets. Think about it.
Water accepts water. Follow the Mississippi from its starting point. Many rivers flow into it; you can eventually tell no difference between a clear river and the mighty muddy Mississippi.
Water adapts. That same Mississippi flows into the Gulf of Mexico, and before long, the salt water is diluted, and the freshwater becomes salted. Those Gulf waters are fed by rivers and the Atlantic Ocean – and you can see the separation point between them all, but eventually, they meld into a single force.
Water tastes like what its environment says. My primary water source is a well about 40 feet from my home. I’m not sure how deep it is, but all around me are zones where the land is protected to allow surface water to reenter the aquifer below. That water is filtered by the sediments and rocks, coming out of the wellhead cold and clear. I’ve never had better tap water than this. But I’ve been around water wells that smell like rotten eggs… sulfur. It’s safe to drink if you can withstand the smell. I couldn’t. Bottled water, here I come!
Compare Water To Us
Let a crash happen to churn our lives; it takes a long time before we settle back down. Though we are comprised of water in every recess of our bodies, we are not “only” water. We find it hard to heal ourselves, or be reunited, or blend and adapt to our new situations.
According to some, the typical adult human body consists of 60% of our weight in water. Of course, this statistic has changed throughout the years, but the concept exists. Water is essential to our well-being. Without it, we would not be who we are today.
In fact, I recently read that our joints ache less when we consume more water! Could it be possible this is a way to keep Arthritis at bay? I’m no doctor, but the concept of a well-hydrated body must mean our body functions better.
Rivers are the life sources of many religions and are recognized as essential to their salvation and healing process. From the Ganges to the Jordan, mention their name; most of us connect them to a religion. I’ve never seen the Ganges, but I’ve been into Jordan and baptized several there.
Let me pause from this thought.
I’m sure I could write a voluminous book.
We desperately need water, good water,
And the best water for the moment of need.
If you would stop and think
Water has unique properties
And without its healing attributes
We would not be who we are today.
Protect the water, make it better
We don’t have time for it to cycle
From gaseous to liquid today.
It’s our job to protect the source
That keeps our lives working.