Flavored Water

I don’t like the taste of water. I’ve tried doing the water-only thing, hoping that in a few weeks/months/whatever my taste buds would come around. They don’t. It doesn’t matter if the water is filtered, or bottled, or tap. I’m equally un-fond of them all. Bleck.

But…since drinking water is a healthy thing to do, I do it. And to help me do it, I add flavor. My absolute favorite is water with lime. Water with lemon is ok too. And since I don’t want to carry around bits of citrus in my purse, I’m also fond of the tea-ish packets you can add to a bottle of water.

It doesn’t detract from the healthy goodness of the water. And my body gets the hydration that it needs to function well.

Just as your body needs water, your spirit needs to stay hydrated too. It’s not a one-time fill-up. Eight 8-oz glasses. Every day.

Little bits of truth and inspiration hit me all the time: in the middle of movies, songs, tv shows, or even commercials. (Some posts on this blog are a testament to that phenomenon.) Spiritual hydration can come straight from water, but sometimes those “aha!” moments are easier to swallow when they are flavored through a story. I think this is why I love stories so much. (Maybe this is why Jesus told so many stories too. He knew that, as a people, we’re not very good at drinking water.)

Some of my recent drinks:
* The power of community – Lars and the Real Girl
* Crossing more than just a channel – On a Clear Day
* Loving without strings attached – Marley and Me
* Affirmation – Mia and Brandon on SYTYCD
* We all have hurdles to jump - Commercial for the Salvation Army
* Sometimes you just have to be there – Neil at Nexus
* Life is not perfect – “Sounds like Life to Me” by Darryl Worley
Each of these moments will probably show up in later posts. For now, they’re just little sips.

Added all together, it’s a healthy gulp of truth and inspiration…flavored with a bit of story. My thirsty soul just drinks it up.

Are you thirsty? Your body (and spirit) may be trying to tell you something. Drink up!

A “P.S.” that may just be for me: The more active you are, the more water you need to drink. (You’re losing more water through sweating, etc.) So…for those of us that live a little more deeply, we need to drink more to keep up with all that spiritual sweating we do. Kinda gross, but do you follow me?

Bonus thought #2: Feeling bloated? Retaining too much water? You're not meant to be a sponge. Maybe it’s time to pour out into someone else.