Water, Holidays and Other Thoughts

After I wrote about bottled water the other day, I went to the grocery store. I had a lot of shopping to do in preparation for the upcoming Passover holiday, so I went to one of the larger stores in my area. As I entered, right in the front of the store were huge palettes of bottled water. Cheap bottled water. Or so it seems. Those bottles are filled with hidden costs for both the consumer and our planet.

I didn’t stop to give the store manager a piece of my mind on this issue, but I am thinking of sending him this link to a YouTube link that is a real eye opener on the topic.

The Story of Bottled Water is a short (8-minute) video, done in an entertaining cartoon style, that presents multiple arguments against bottled water. My favorite line in it says, “Carrying bottled water around is becoming as uncool as smoking while pregnant”. I hope so, and think I will tell the grocery store manager, too.

Today, I plan to spend the whole day getting ready for two Seders. I have already thought about the connection between water and Passover. If you are interested you can see an article I wrote for the Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle this month called Passover Water and Wine. It explores the symbolism of water in our Passover rituals. What I didn’t think about when I wrote that was how much water I use in preparation for the holiday. Between cleaning and cooking, I am sure my water consumption increases this week, and it’s one use of water I am not yet ready to give up. Well, on second thought, maybe I could cut back on the cleaning part.

I don’t know much about the connection between water and Easter but I am sure there is one. Water is essential for life, and that means it is also essential for the celebrations of our lives. Happy Holiday season to all.