Water water everywhere. We take it\u00a0with us wherever\u00a0we go.\u00a0 First it was water bottles.\u00a0 And\u00a0sports drinks.\u00a0 Then coffee cups.\u00a0 Now all of these show up at any time.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I’m a bit amused at all of us\u00a0acting like we’ll perish from dehydration if we\u00a0don’t\u00a0have a water bottle to hold onto.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
I’m pretty sure that if we all worked out vigorously at the gym (who are we kidding about how often that happens?) we could drink enough water there to satisfy our thirst and make it home.\u00a0<\/p>\n
We could probably get from\u00a0home to work without liquid reinforcement.\u00a0Maybe even to the grocery store. Or\u00a0to pick up the kids.<\/p>\n
A few years back, I noticed\u00a0something odd in church on a Sunday in L.A. in a celebrity-strewn pew.\u00a0 Several famous people who famously arrived at church in play clothes – one of the attractions of our particular congregation – brought their water bottles right inside.\u00a0 At first they just held onto them, like\u00a0a security blanket or some kind of talisman.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Within a few weeks,\u00a0more bottles appeared and people opened them and swilled.\u00a0It was disconcerting. Picture this:<\/p>\n
The pastor says,<\/p>\n
“Let’s sing hymn number 47,”<\/p>\n
and before we can\u00a0turn to “How Great Thou Art,” bottle caps have\u00a0to be put back on, bottles placed on the pews, while the pianist plays\u00a0the introduction.<\/p>\n
A guest singer steps up to the microphone and\u00a0the congregation takes a swig.\u00a0Heck we didn’t even get a chance to address whether or not we\u00a0should be applauding the soloists\u00a0(a big back-and-forth\u00a0discussion\u00a0in a congregation of performers)\u00a0before the issue switched to whether liquid refreshments belong inside the sanctuary.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then, sure enough,\u00a0 coffee cups showed up – the paper kind with the hot-holding band around.\u00a0\u00a0 It was a good half hour into worship\u00a0before those cups were drained and\u00a0put on the floor.\u00a0\u00a0I saw\u00a0members of the volunteer cleanup\u00a0committee chasing them down the aisle later, since once emptied, they tended to roll toward the altar.<\/p>\n
Oh yeah, I’ve got my water bottle in the car now.\u00a0It’s one of the new\u00a0ones that doesn’t leach harmful stuff.\u00a0 I’m still congratulating\u00a0myself for not buying the 24-bottle pack of disposable (except evidently not quickly biodegradable) kind.<\/p>\n
My\u00a0water bottle isn’t a\u00a0necessity,\u00a0so\u00a0is it\u00a0more of an accessory?\u00a0\u00a0It may\u00a0miss the mark,\u00a0since a bottle attached to a hand is not\u00a0as aesthetically pleasing as,\u00a0say, a good pair of shoes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
What does our\u00a0water-carrying habit reveal\u00a0about us?\u00a0 That we’re the thirstiest people in the world?\u00a0 That we are\u00a0the fittest, most\u00a0athletic people around?\u00a0 Or that today we are\u00a0super-embracing our\u00a0need to be nurtured?\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
I don’t have an answer.\u00a0I’m just saying.<\/p>\n