I could use a drink

And likely it’s not the kind of drink that you might guess. I used to be religious about drinking a minimum of 64 ounces of water each morning. Yep, each morning, I used to do this. Before I had even left the house to start my day, I had always checked that one thing off my list – the recommended eight glasses-DONE.

Somewhere I lost sight of that. We have bottles and cups and tumblers and mugs and several faucets along with filtered water that comes out of the door of our refrigerator so I have no excuse. I take care to fill up everyone’s cup (we have all switched to the double walled stainless steel kind) and regularly encourage my husband and kids to drink throughout the day. Yet, my cup sits largely untouched.

My skin has been super dry and I am breaking out in places – a telltale sign that I’m dehydrated, so I added a straw to my cup hoping to entice me. Last night, in that final Tasmanian devil swoop of the grounds that many moms do, I picked up scissors and pennies, a dog leash and an abandoned box of crackers and my fully filled water cup.

Today had its own unique challenges – as everyday has the possible having. Maybe I was tired and sluggish from stress, I thought. Maybe I needed to eat something (a bagel and cream cheese and three donuts sounded appealing). Or maybe I was just thirsty.

I have fallen in the trap of confusing my primal need for water with what I think I want. For example, in the grocery store, I have been occasionally pausing at the soda machine – where I know I can fill up a large Diet Coke -with ice no less! – for less than the cost of bottles available by checkout. Filling it, I have congratulated myself on my financial savvy, but later I realized that smarter still would have been skipping the chemicals I had ingested and saving the money entirely.

Worse still, I have noticed that while cooking dinner, I have been gravitating toward a quick cold drink that I can grab – which is sometimes a beer or glass of wine. While wine or beer can be enjoyed moderately – I am not even relishing it – having a sip or so over conversation, but taking a gulp or two here and there to quench my thirst. I don’t want a convenience to lend itself to a bad habit and the calories are adding up too. Then there is the whole – Oh! I am probably hungry! trap that I fall into. Because I need something – a drink, I try to satiate the need with a handful of whatever is nearby.

This morning though, I dealt with it immediately – drinking my half a gallon of water before I ate breakfast. I hadn’t realized how bad I was feeling until I started feeling good – funny how that works…Because I had already done something nourishing for my body, I made better food choices and I enjoyed my coffee – slowly and without creamer or sugars.

It might sound silly but right now, hours later, I feel like a flower in bloom – my head held high and facing the day. I am going to make a much better effort to continue – one day at a time to take better care of myself, starting off with properly hydrating. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to run to the restroom again – for maybe the tenth time…at least I am getting my steps in!