I’m so thankful for clean water. Here’s why. When I was working at Sacramento State, I had the pleasure of interviewing many outstanding professors. One day I was preparing to interview and shoot a video with an engineering professor who grew up in the Middle East.

We were in his lab talking about water.

He and his students were working on water recycling projects. This involves taking wastewater and recycling and filtering it to be used to grow plants and crops.

He said, in his country, which is mostly desert, this is a common practice.

And I said, Why don’t we do this here in the United States.

He looked at me, tilting his head, eyes peering at me over his glasses.

He looked very wise.

The Miracle of Fresh, Clean, Drinking Water

People here, he said, turn on the faucet, and clean water comes out. Do you know how wonderful that is?

I hadn’t really thought about it until that moment.

Other countries do not have this.

He wasn’t slamming America.

He was stating FACT.

We waste water in this country.

We take it for granted.

We are short-sited and foolish.

Podcast Transcript

I’m Gloria Moraga; this is One-On-One, Communicate, talk to each other. Talk about everything. It helps.

This is part two of things I’m Thankful for…

I am so thankful for clean, fresh water. It’s the one thing we cannot live very long without.

It is the one thing we tragically do not think about when we turn on the tap, and clean water magically appears.

There are facts. This is a quote from one of my favorite websites, The World Wildlife Foundation. This is a full quote. You can find the link at gloriamoraga.com.

(quote)

“Water covers 70% of our planet, and it is easy to think that it will always be plentiful. However, freshwater—the stuff we drink, bathe in, irrigate our farm fields with—is scarce. Only 3% of the world’s water is freshwater, and two-thirds of that is tucked away in frozen glaciers or otherwise unavailable for our use.

As a result, some 1.1 billion people worldwide lack access to water, and a total of 2.7 billion find water scarce for at least one month of the year. Inadequate sanitation is also a problem for 2.4 billion people—they are exposed to diseases, such as cholera and typhoid fever, and other water-borne illnesses. Two million people, mostly children, die each year from diarrheal diseases alone.

Many of the water systems that keep ecosystems thriving and feed a growing human population have become stressed. Rivers, lakes, and aquifers are drying up or becoming too polluted to use. More than half the world’s wetlands have disappeared. Agriculture consumes more water than any other source and wastes much of that through inefficiencies. Climate change is altering weather and water patterns worldwide, causing shortages and droughts in some areas and floods in others.

At the current consumption rate, this situation will only get worse. By 2025, two-thirds of the world’s population may face water shortages. And ecosystems around the world will suffer even more.”

(end quote)

Are you afraid?

Be very afraid. I’m afraid.

But fear, like pain, is good. Because if you manage your fear and manage your pain. Steps can be taken to make this better.

You know I love to research and share the horrors that can happen in various circumstances. I won’t go into what happens when 2 million children drink dirty water. I will say we should all be ashamed.

Dying From Dehydration

Here is what happens when most of us don’t drink enough water. This is from an article by Laura Allan called “What is Dying of Thirst Like.”

Let me say there is no such thing as drying of thirst. What happens is you die of dehydration.

It’s commonly said that you can perish within days without consuming water. While that does happen sometimes, it can actually take you a week or more. Sometimes you can go even longer, though you’ll not be conscious long enough to know it.

It all depends on how much you weigh, your health, and your environment.

It’s commonly said that you can perish within days without consuming water. While that does happen sometimes, it can actually take you a week or more. Sometimes you can go even longer, though you’ll not be conscious long enough to know it.

It all depends on how much you weigh, your health, and your environment.

Kidneys regulate fluids in the body. Without fluids to process, your kidneys will eventually stop producing urine and shut down. 

Your Tongue Will Swell Up Inside Your Mouth

the body is 50 to 70 percent water. Humans are made of mostly water, as even our bones and blood contain vital substances. Because of this, extreme dehydration can cause the body to lose a huge amount of its weight and mass.

You will lose a lot of weight in a distressing hurry. 

If kidney failure isn’t what gets you, it can sometimes be your brain. You see, with a lack of fluids, your brain will begin to shrink in your skull. As it shrinks, it will pull away from the bone around it.

Sometimes, if it sticks to said bone, it will tear and rupture inside you. 

Read The Full Article If You Wish

Okay, I’ve had enough of this. Dying of dehydration or lack of water is painful and awful. If you want to read more, I’ll link to the website, where I got most of this information. 

What I Planned to Write About

I’m Gloria Moraga; I had planned to write a light-hearted, funny post on my love for diet coke. Here’s what I was going to say,

Okay, ladies and gents. What is your favorite drink? Yes. I said drink. I don’t want to go one and on about Diet Coke. But I’m going to talk briefly about it.

I began drinking Diet Coke seriously in 1990 when I was studying for my master’s degree in journalism and Public Affairs at the American University in Washington, D.C.

I don’t drink coffee, I love tea, but funny, tea has too much Caffeine. I know. Crazy, huh?

But Diet Coke has just the right amount of Caffeine to keep me going, early and in the late afternoon.

I know. Many studies show it is not good for you—too many chemicals, etc. Here’s is what is in it. This is from the website NutriNeat.

Diet Coke Ingredients

• Artificial Sweeteners Aspartame
• Caffeine
• A 330 ml liter serving of Diet Coke provides around 42 mg of Caffeine. 
• Preservatives
  Preservatives are added to protect the beverages from deterioration caused by micro-organisms like bacteria and fungi. In the case of Diet Coke, the preservatives are phosphoric acid, citric acid, and potassium benzoate. However, this phosphoric acid can damage bone health, as it draws out calcium from the bones, eventually making them weak and brittle.
• Caramel Color
• Sodium 20 mg of salt
• Nutrition. No nutrition value.
• Calories. Zero.

But, you know what, the website did not mention water. DUH!

Diet Coke is 99% Water. 

This fact, the water information, comes from Dr. MAUREEN STOREY (Senior Vice President, Science Policy, American Beverage Association): Soda comprises water. A full-calorie soft drink has 90 percent water, and a diet soft drink is 99 percent water. 

Water is Wonderful

I got to that part of my podcast/post when I started thinking about water. I do love drinking water. And, you know most of our favorite beverages. Or we make them with water. Coffee. Tea. Pop. And then there is ice. I love ice. When I traveled in Europe, I missed ice so much. I would ask for ice in Germany, France, and England, and the waiters would look at me like crazy. One waiter in London asked, why do you want to water down your drink with ice? I like it, I said.

He shook his head. I’m sure he was thinking Crazy American.

I’m Gloria Moraga, with Part Two of Thankful. I am thankful for clean, fresh water. Because diet coke is 99 percent water. I’m going to include a link to the WWF, World Wild Life Fund. Website. This is a non-profit that takes Global Warming seriously. And it is working to save so many endangered species. So if you have any extra money this holiday season, donate to WWF.

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Give thanks.

Enjoy your water. However, you like to consume it.

Be safe.