Water is the most essential resource on earth. It necessary for every aspect of life in one way or another. H2O, two hydrogen atoms attached to one oxygen by a polar covalent bond. This little molecule has made such an impact on everything we know. Water has been one of few consistent factors on the planet. It has allowed all living things to thrive; from plants, animals, humans and the earth itself. Every living thing depends on water to live.
Some people however, do not just need water to sustain life. They need water to grow, thrive and feel. Some people, including myself, have been influenced by water in ways others could not understand.
Water makes me think of my childhood. Of hot summer days arriving to my Gma's house; stripping down into my bathing suit and leaving a trail of clothes from the front door to the backyard. Spending hours in the pool jumping, splashing, floating, flipping and everything in between. I never wanted to leave my second home under the water. It was an oasis; an adventure every time.
Water reminds me of family; of Lewis Lake, Pennsylvania. A place where the house may be still standing due to stacks of newspaper from 1978, but the only valuable thing in there is the life jackets and fishing poles anyway. Boat rides on the lake, watching the rippled waves fade out along the shores, watching my cousins dragging behind on the big red tube. Rowing out to the lily pads and trying to follow their long stem through the water as it blends into the mucky bottom. Swimming out far and trying not to think of all the creatures underneath you. Cooling off near the dock when the sun seems to have no mercy. And always thinking that bathing in the lake meant you didn't have to shower when you got home.
Water means the beach. It means packing a cooler and hauling it to the perfect spot on the sand. Dipping your toes in the sea as it comes up the shore and letting it take all your worries back with it. Watching the sun's reflection twinkling on the surface for miles out early in the morning. Taking breaks to jump in the water even if it is painfully numbing. Searching for sand crabs burrowing under the sand, collecting them in a water bucket and then heroically releasing all of them at once.
Water is my work. For five years I have dedicated my summers to long shifts under umbrellas watching patrons splash away in the pool. Guarding those kids that can't swim, cleaning the pool for hours on end, and even standing in inches of backwash water in the pump room trying to seal a leak. The pool life is the life for me and I am grateful to have spent many summers poolside.
Water is feeling. Feeling sad, angry, happy or tired. It's tears from a breakup, from a stressful week, from the loss of a loved one. It's also the tears of laughing so hard your stomach hurts, of uncontrollably cracking up with your friends in public, of giggling from the sleepy HaHas at sleepovers. It is the feeling of being so exhausted your eyes tear up and you feel like falling asleep standing in the shower. Water is essential in all the best feelings.
Water is the little things in life that should never go unappreciated. It's running in the rain knowing that running won't make you any less wet. It's watching the water drops in the car and cheering them on as they race across the window. It's the mist on a sunny day that makes a rainbow. It's the Holy water in the bowl at church. It's the sweat you feel rolling down your temples after a long run. It's watching the colors swirl on the windows when you get a car wash. It's snow that melts on your hair when you come inside. It's catching tadpoles in the brook near your house.
Most importantly, water means movement and cleansing. It means adapting to life and sometimes changing the current depending on what is thrown at you. Water comes in waves, much like life. Sometimes its tumbling and crashing down around you and other times it's gentle and serene. Water carves canyons with persistence and determination, just like people achieve accomplishments.
Because water has been such an influence in my life, it is no surprise I have learned to live by this quote, it is also no surprise that I would like to leave you with this in hopes that it will sail you through life's toughest waters:
"The Cure For Anything Is Salt Water; Sweat, Tears, Or The Sea"
