May 6, 2013 - Hiding Water for Later

Again - running late. Sorry, having to fit into this Monday work schedule. Taking a coffee break and returning to the grind stone. I was thinking about all this rain we've had for the past couple of days and how deeply the water travels into the soil and stores in pockets to be used at a later time. The deeper the water, the longer the cycle of preservation given to the plant during times of drought. There were times on Saturday when the rain never stopped for hours and there was seemingly no end. I wondered if I had moved backward into Noah's days. Just sayin. But I know that the abundance of the rain in it's gentle state and not in sheets to wash away my seedlings has made everything in my yard smile. And why not, deep rain is not a simple "water the yard for today" event. Is it? Again, the deeper the penetration of the water into the soil, the further from the surface of the sun the water hides. That's fairly simple to see. Deep, intense watering brings a profound hope that during periods of extreme drought those hidden pockets of moisture will allow the plants to survive against all odds. Water is so necessary to all life that these plants will endure saturation and almost drowning as they understand that the blistering heat will return and every drop of water is critical. Although they are not human and have no ability to reason, it's as if they have a master plan. And that plan centers around holding on to every drop of moisture available. I wonder what we can glean from this scenario? I know that some of us drink water, sometimes, while others really have to work at forcing it down as I do. As a child I never chose to drink water, only sweet tea and Tab. I was never taught how critically important water was to my health. But as I have embraced being healthy, I have come to value the importance of water. Do I enjoy the taste? No. Do I enjoy the benefits? Yes. But watching the solid days of rain gave me another insight into our water journey. Sometimes after consuming my daily assigned water, I will always rejoice and grab a glass of tea. I never rejoice at starting my daily water journey though. After Saturday I have determined why. I don't value the importance of water to my survival. If we are honest, after a few days of falling short with the consumption of this life-giving substance we often see the response from our cells deep within our bodies: swollen feet, harder stools, bloating around our bellies, headaches, heart palpitations. I could continue the list. These are outward signs that inwardly our cells are thirsty. Placing our body into a drought situation, as in my yard, will most definitely produce negative responses. My suggestion is that we saturate our bodies as often as we can so that on the days when we really need a glass of tea, we have the water reserves within our cells to complete their daily functions without complaining. And let's be honest, when our cells are thirsty they complain. So let's begin this new week saturating those cells and making them smile as are the plants in my yard. I just got my first 10 ounces down. 12 cups, here I come. PK