July 2, 2020
Water has become an anchor during this odd 2020. I started a mindful nutrition class soon after the shelter in place, and part of that included the requirement to drink at least half my body weight in ounces of water every day. In the beginning of the class, I had a lot of body weight, so that was a LOT of ounces of water. Water was already part of my ritual. Drinking enough to flush every single toxin out of my body; well, that was new. And flushing all the toxins was the goal, as I transformed all my daily intake.
How to achieve the goal? I literally took my old pyrex measuring cup with the worn red measurements in ounces, out of the cupboard. Then I looked for the most appealing containers I could find to hold the daily amount of water I needed to take in. I ended up with four bottles that held special meaning. It equaled a bit more than the required water needed; but I have always been an overachiever. Each morning I begin the ritual of filling all four vessels; and feeling good that I did not have to think from there on, throughout the day. I just needed to empty all of the water those vessels held.
Bottle #1 — An empty wine bottle with an embossed garden encircling the bottle. My dear friend who reminds me of the whimsey and wonder of the forest, brought this sweet slick bottle of rose wine lusciousness to a dinner party. I skillfully soaked and scraped the ooey gooey label off, and scrubbed the remainder of goo off with baking soda. And now have that bottle, which I have used for future dinner parties. It is now part of my daily water allotment quest.
Bottle #2 — A dark cobalt blue glass bottle that I gingerly brought back from Berlin, Germany. My daughter and I were traveling after meeting up in Prague. I was teaching her my mom life hacks on how to travel far and wide on a dime; and reconnect with special people. We met up with old friends who had just relocated to Berlin. After a long walk through he East End Gallery with the endless offerings of murals and words and history, we landed at this found cafe. Always the best… to walk and meander with the day, and land at a table with good food, good wine, good people and cute waiters. For each bottle of wine we had a bottle of the cobalt sparkling water. At the end of the meal I thought about how those bottles were just going into the recycling. As my daughter is embarrassed often by what I request in restaurants, I asked her permission if I could ask the waiter if we could take the bottles with us. She scrunched her eyes that sparked up with that well known, “Oh My God Mom” look. After I gave my rationalization about how the bottles would just go into recycling, or God forbid, the trash; and the fact that I was asking, and they could say no; my green new deal/climate change dreamer/tree hugging daughter gave me the green light. Of course the waiter said yes. We left with two salvaged bottles. Our friends kept one; and the other I carefully packed in my carryon bag for the trip home.
Bottle #3 — Before he was an ex, a former beau was courting/stalking me, and somehow we engaged in conversation about his water bottle he kept at his desk. It was a curious bottle with interesting painted European scenes. He shared he had a couple of these bottle that his deceased Eastern European wife had collected. He offered one to me, as he saw I appreciated the art. The stalking worked and we ended up in a relationship. Sadly, it was not the right relationship for either of us, and when he left, he left the bottle. By that time I had gathered many stories about his deceased wife; and I felt a kinship with her. I still do. So I feel she and I have shared something, even though we never met. And I love her taste in bottles. Men — if she and I met in the mystery beyond; we will certainly have a lot to chat about.
Bottle #4 — The Cocktail Pitcher with deep etched 22K gold leaves. It is part of an elegant mid century vintage 8 piece set that the former owner left to us when we purchased our Victorian Home. She was the granddaughter of the original owners and had inherited the house from an uncle. Her dream was to restore the home; but her life had taken her somewhere else, and as we often find, we can’t go back home. She wanted to sell the house to someone who would love it, and the original Italianate Victorian character. And new owners who would take the time to love and restore the home, and raise a family with love; as she had been raised in this home. When our real estate transaction was final, she hosted our family in the home, and we toasted with the glasses from this set. She gave me a box of photographs that showed the original glory of this home she was raised in. I took classes and worked toward the restoration; using those photos. The night we toasted, she was complaining of sciatica in her back. Sadly, soon after our celebration she found out she had cancer, and died months later. I never got to show her the restoration. That was my dream. So when I use the cocktail set; it reminds me of her spirit in this home I feel we share.
Water is Life; or so they say. It is ironic that I needed to fill each bottle so I didn’t have to think. Because each bottle really does make me think. It makes me think about life and living, in so many ways.
Three months later, I have less body weight. I still drink the same overzealous amount of water. There is much meaning in this water; and the vessels that carry it to my body each day. I am grateful for all the opportunities before me… and for the water that sustains and cleanses and nurtures me. And vessels… and memories…
May it be so…