Enjoying the Elegance of Water

One day my daughter's best friend Sarah blew me away by crunching down her water bottle. The sound alone is enough to unnerve you the first time you hear it, but the cool thing is that all water bottles are now required to be crunchable to minimize the space they are taking up in the landfills. I happily began crushing all my water bottles, and, OK, I admit it, enjoying unnerving other first timers. ; )

As a recycler, I began to think about all the waste I was adding to the planet - my carbon footprint - and its growing size with my empty water bottles, crushed or not. As I was considering how low my supply of bottles was getting I happened to be putting away some wine glasses and glanced over at my crystal water goblets that I never use. I love those goblets. I had just acquired a Brita water pitcher and decided I was not going to buy any more bottles of water. Instead, now I create a magic moment out of every glass of water. I keep oranges, lemons, limes, and even pineapple sliced to add to my crystal goblet as I fill it with water I actually bless every time I refill the pitcher.

You can bless your water quite simply. Hold your right hand so that your first two fingers are pointing out and your ring and little finger are bent toward you, while your thumb points straight up. Then moving your hand in a plus sign and then a circle over whatever you're blessing, say OUT LOUD, "I love you, I thank you, I bless you." That's all there is to it. I bless the water for my coffee, the water for my cats, and even the water I use to boil pasta. I bless the water in my shower since the body absorbs over a liter and a half in a shower, but I don't do the hand movement, or mudra, as I say the words.

I encourage you to try this for yourself. Get a few really lovely crystal goblets - check out the resale shop if you're on a budget. Get yourself a filtering pitcher and give up bottled water for a week. Try it and see if you prefer your water blessed in crystal with a splash of colorful fresh fruit OR filled with the flavor of PCBs (polycarbonate, aka plastic).

Personally, I enjoy the elegance of my new water experience at levels that greatly supersede the simple act of quenching a thirst. It's all about appreciating the moment. The money I'm saving more than covers the cost of the pitcher's filters. And my carbon footprint has shrunk. It's kind of like losing 10 pounds, while getting a raise. I'd love to hear your results!