Last straw: Do I have to run this water bottle back to the bus stop?

Palm Coast Observer
Opinion

“Oh, great!” 9-year-old Kennedy said in anguish. “I forgot my water bottle!”

My wife and I were walking Kennedy and Luke, 6, to the bus stop, and it was too late for her to turn around and fetch her bottle, the last “straw” in a stressful morning.

Fortunately, I thought to myself, drinking fountains are plentiful at Kennedy’s school. Think of the care and the cost of designing and installing them — in every hallway — to accomplish the miracle of clean, cold drinking water, available for all, literally at the push of a button.

But we had been through this before. A teacher once told Kennedy that drinking fountains had germs, and that was that.

I’m old enough to remember when drinking fountains were not only wall decorations in public buildings — they were used for actually drinking water. That was before the water bottle industry fooled us into buying tumbler after tumbler, insulated to keep water cool for weeks on end. These days, it’s a given that your quality of life depends on built-in environmentally responsible straws and ergonomically pleasing handles. And, of course, as evidence of our devotion to this new reality, we have a kitchen cabinet full of perfectly sound but rejected water bottles of the past, a graveyard of thirst.

And so, I dutifully jogged back home, in my shirt and tie and dress shoes. I rushed around the kitchen, then her bedroom, and finally found her insulated tumbler — covered with stickers — and filled it with ice, then water.

As I did so, I grew more and more annoyed at having to jog down the street, carrying this bottle, just because of the industry’s manipulative cleverness.

But as I was jogging back to the bus stop with the water bottle, I had an epiphany of gratitude. Several true statements came to my mind:

I have shoes on my feet.

I had enough money to buy this bottle for my daughter.

I have the physical strength to jog down the street.

I have a beautiful wife and son and daughter waiting for me at the bus stop.

I thought of the life I aspire to lead, one that should be full of moments like this: giving drink to the thirsty.

And as I expected, with my heart softened, when I arrived, just in time for the bus, Kennedy accepted the bottle with a big smile, bursting with her own gratitude, with relief, and with the sensation of being loved by her dad.

What are you grateful for? And be honest: How many water bottles do you own? Email [email protected].

Publisher shout-outs

Danielle Geiger and Leah Putting are the area directors for Flagler and East Volusia, respectively, for Fellowship of Christian Athletes. In the past school year, Geiger helped increase program participation from 50 to 121 Christian student-athletes, helping students feel like they had a supporting place to grow in their faith. Putting helped East Volusia, which includes Ormond Beach, increase participation of coaches and athletes from 750 to over 1,000. Visit www.flaglerfca.org or www.eastvolusiafca.org.