My 51 year, one month water revelation

This morning, I walked 37 minutes in the 87 degree, 52 percent humidity Houston summer. My new routine is to walk, then sit at my computer and either be productive or, better yet, get on here and catch up with people and topics while my body stops producing massive quantity of "fat tears."

Now, I am one of those "I hate water" types who will drink diet beverages, coffee, etc., but not straight water. I have no idea why, but that is me. In order to understand this post, you need to know how my computer is set up. The right edge of the hard drive is literally four inches from the side-by-side refrigerator-freezer. The outside of the freezer compartment has a water and ice dispenser that-- for my wife, anyway-- has dispensed cool, clear, fresh, filtered water for the past several years. But not for me. Until today, I have only used the contraption maybe three times.

Anyway, I am sitting here schvitzing (look it up in a good online Yiddish-English translator), waiting so that I can take a shower and get to the office. I thought to myself, "gee, I'm kinda thirsty, but (now remember, I'm literally a foot from the refrigerator door) I'm too tired to get up and get a beverage. I looked down at my table top and noticed a glass from which I consumed a cherry flavored Fresca earlier this morning. Then I looked at the water dispenser. I scrunched up my nose and said, "ugh... it's filtered water. How bad can it be." So I pushed the 20 oz. glass against the dispenser thingamabob and filled it up. And drank it. "Oh man, this is pretty good," I thought as I consumed the entire glass. But I was still thirsty. So I filled and drained another 20 oz. glass. And then the strangest thing happened. I suddenly realized that the fatigue I had been feeling after walking had been caused by not drinking enough.

Now I know that many of you are face palming yourselves (and wanting to seriously face palm me) and saying, "DUH. Ya think so? I mean, you're over 450 pounds and exercising in a humid Texas Gulf Coast hellscape. Did you really THINK you didn't NEED to drink water?" Well, yeah, I knew that I did, but I didn't want to. But now that I have.... I think I'll have ONE more glass before I hit the shower.

Sometimes it takes 51 years and one month to learn what you should have known all along.

Scott in Houston, Tx.