So many people around the world lack a source of clean water altogether and are vulnerable to water - borne illnesses. How could you help with this global need?
Water has always been my favorite
beverage of choice. Water bottles have always found a space in my backpack and
purse and empty water bottles scattered the floor of my car during the busyness
of college and work. The taste of
different brands of water is evident, not all water tastes the same and when it
is constantly consumed, it is easy to tell the difference. My taste buds favor
Crystal Geyser, its red and blue label occasionally peaking out of my bag these
days.
California has been in a drought
for several years now and water has been a hot topic.
Signs along the freeway boasting:
Conserve Water and buses around town
covered with information on which days we can water our lawns. How to cut back
on water use and not washing cars at home are new city marketing campaigns.
Water. It is the source of life.
In January, we received an alert
from the city stating our water could be
contaminated with bacteria and a boiling alert was advised but not mandatory. Other articles came out to say that
local water levels have been below par and have been experimented with for a
few years.
After Christmas I came down with
a virus and was sicker than I have ever been and would have done natural child
labor for a third time, if given the option. After a few trips to Urgent Care
and the ER, nothing was clearly determined other than it was a virus. A virus
that mostly went away after a week and then came back, though thankfully not in
full force, to which my doctor concluded was a stomach infection and sent me
home with some strong antibiotics that eventually defeated whatever it was.
I have no idea whether it was
something in the water. But it opened me up to the logistics of not having
clean water and what those repercussions could entail.
I never have had to boil water
for safe drinking but we did, for just bit until we made to the store where
there was only a few gallons left of water on the shelf to purchase. We pulled
our big pots and pans out of the cupboard, filling each one with water and
waiting for them to reach a boil and setting the timer for three minutes
because according to the alert, three minutes will kill possible bacteria and then
realizing just how long it takes for water to cool to room temperature.
And naturally thoughts starting steeping.
Was it safe to brush our teeth with this
water? Or rinse off our vegetables? Or wash our dishes?
I am not in to living life based
on fear but with towns like
Flint, Michigan and their water issues here in America, where plumbing and faucets are
the norm, it could happen anywhere.
Around my birthday, I came across
Life Water, an organization that helps provide clean water for those without
access to it, which I ever so slightly know the feeling of now and thought it
would be fun to support due to my constant love of water.
They have awesome ways to donate, like inviting family and friends to help give others water in lieu of giving presents, so I made a little campaign and a few gave water to others. If you have a minute, check out this video and see how you can be involved in providing the gift of water.
They have awesome ways to donate, like inviting family and friends to help give others water in lieu of giving presents, so I made a little campaign and a few gave water to others. If you have a minute, check out this video and see how you can be involved in providing the gift of water.
Here's to clean and healthy water.
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This is part of a 365 day blogging series through Savor by Shauna Niequist. If you would like to blog along, whether daily or weekly, I would love to have you for the journey; be sure to link back to the post. And if you are not a blogger, you can join along, too. Just leave your response and answers in the comments.
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