Ya wanna drink?

I don't have a finished quilt-y project so I will tell you a story - it might help someone else have better days.

This is about drinking – yeppers, drinking water.

Years ago, as a relatively young woman in my 40s, I suffered a number of Emergency Room visits with unexplained severe abdominal cramping, pains. Hours later, each time, I was released, with no explanation, no solution. It would eventually “go away”. In those days, we didn’t endure a gazillion medical tests.

I am the type of person who will forget everything else, when I get my ‘teeth’ into a project. If you’ve read my blog recently, I spoke about riding my bicycle in the mountains. I am enthusiastic, but NOT very physically fit.

My bike was a gorgeous mountain bike, 27 gears, good for all terrains, but not a light weight. I had gathered courage to join a 20-mile bike trek, and we were going to meet at one location, and head off, through hill and dale, in June. I was an ignorant newbie.

As soon as I unloaded my bike, I knew I was in trouble. The girls did NOT wear makeup - I think they were girls – all the participants had buns of steel and legs like trees. No cellulite except when I looked down at my own generous limbs. Everyone’s helmets were swoopy shaped things, designed like jet airplanes - mine was purchased at a garage sale. And their bikes? English racers, that probably weighed 4 pounds. I carried cookies in my fanny pack - they carried air pumps and water bottles and spare tires, Gatorade, compasses, their bikes had speedometers, rear-view mirrors, oh yes, and everyone wore Spandex! ( humpffff -- I WAS wearing my Spandex!) Oh well, I’m foolish and brave, and off we all went.

There WAS a safety pickup truck following us, with a uhhh .... generous-sized woman driving - definitely NOT qualified as physically fit! She didn’t have many teeth, and her hair hadn't been washed in a month I think -- and frankly I was too snooty to consider she would be my new best friend!

I pedaled my best but after 13 miles, in last place most of the time, I had to admit defeat, and she kindly picked me up – her first and only passenger. We chit-chatted about one thing and another, and I told her my malady of the unexplained abdominal cramping. Her immediate response, “Well darlin’ (this was in Tennessee) y’all need to drink more water!”

I had spent hundreds of dollars at a good-sized medical facility and the physicians had NOT solved my problem, but here this unexpected connection proved to have the solution to my unexplained medical issues. Since then, I’ve gotten ‘in trouble’ occasionally, only to find the problem dissipate when I drank more water. I frequently forget to drink, so now keep a daily log of water consumption, and have discovered an even more amazing thing. The days when I wake up listless, tired, weary, etc., are the days when I have not had enough water. And the days when I am at my best, most energetic, happiest, best frame of mind, most alert, are the days when I have drunk a LOT (64 oz.) of water.

We all hear we should drink more, but many of us tend not to pay attention, and our physicians don’t necessarily point this out to us. Maybe my story might help someone else.

From Mother Elaine Adair