I stood for a long decadent time under the gentle spray of the shower this morning just closing my eyes and feeling the warmth, the healing power, of water. I admit I did think of how wasteful I was being especially when there are so many without clean safe water to drink right now, let alone the luxury of standing under a warm decadent shower head.
I then thought about the healing nature of water. My chiropractor said it best: "whatever ails you throw water at it". If my joints ache i know i am not drinking enough water. If the edema sets in, especially after a long drive, i know i simply need to go sit in a pool, lake or tub and let nature do its thing to readjust those electrolytes moving and those tissue fluid compartments in balance once again .... all the while drinking plenty of water of course.
I know in my animal patients the most important thing is to keep them hydrated- nothing will make a critter go down as fast as dehydration.
And then I thought too of the many other uses of water:
Cooling of nuclear reactors- on all of our minds these days
Hydration of growing crops- especially as e plant our gardens with the arrival of spring
The simple act of purification- for example by its distribution through soil and sediment layers for "decontamination"
The all important mix in so many chemical and biochemical reactions
Water is life- simple statement and yet deeply meaningful
I love water- water to me is my favored drink- my drink of choice especially at meals. I love to swim in water, lay in water, play in water...love surfing, swimming, boating- anything water related. I love simply being around water- walking along the river, the lake, the streams, the ocean....side note no one could believe i would ever leave my pacific coast as i am such a water baby- so needed my ocean- amazing though how the waters of eastern TN heal me too- and the Smokies especially center and heal me....)
I spent most of my adult years in the water poor western states...surrounded by ocean and lakes yet always under water conservation. I was used to of course the outward water conservation ideas but it took my youngest grand to teach me even more about conservation and respect for our planet and her resources. and thanks to my youngest granddaughter Cassie it became more so even in the simplest personal tasks- i remember this tiny California native standing on a little stool to brush her teeth before bed when she was visiting with mom and dad and her reminding dad to put some water in her little Dixie cup so she could use that for dipping her toothbrush and rinsing her mouth- her eyes got huge when i let the water run at the other sink- i learned quickly though and thanked her for teaching me that-
So much so that when i moved to the Smokey Mountains of eastern TN i was surprised to learn there were no restrictions on water use. What you can flush at will? Water lawns whenever? No one looks twice if you wash your car in your driveway?? Hmmmm truly a very different world than what i was used to .....
yet water conservation is still a part of my life...so this morning as i stood under the wonderfully healing and refreshing waters of my shower i did feel guilt...and was thankful that i was able to take those selfish extra few minutes to reflect and meditate while under the healing stream of water.
Chery, just came on my blog this morning and saw yours from last week. I have a "thing" for water too. I live in Oregon in the Willamette Valley. I worry about water because we get all of our water from a well. Every time I wash dishes or rinse them too much I think about those who have to carry their water from a well or river or lake so they can wash or drink. We waste water here in the Northwest. The back property is turf and requires hectares of water from the same aquifer we get our water from. They fertilize by air and on ocassion fume for pests that requires them to tent their land and post poison warnings. People who purchase turf likely have no idea what is in the soil and grass they purchase. We wonder about illnesses and disorders as we wash our cars and our hair with products that go down the drain and.... No one really knows.
ReplyDeleteThanks bringing this to the front of my brain today.