Hydration Nation

Everywhere you look, people are drinking something; they’re walking down the street holding lidded disposable cups or one of those triple insulated mammoth vessels that keep a drink’s temperature steady for a minimum of six months. No one braves the urban jungle unarmed. Even kids won’t leave to school without a bottle of water.

Or two.

Or three.

We’re fixated on liquid intake; we’re a nation focused on hydration.

My friend Leah has her water delivered. They drop it at the curb, leaving her with the job of hauling cases of water to her garage. Who started this water craze, she asks, perplexed, frustrated, and probably exhausted, too, from all that schlepping.

Everyone’s downing water as if there’s an imminent drought, like camels in the desert, Leah says.  And brand matters, too. One mother confided her water bottles are from Walmart, and if her kids knew, they’d refuse to drink it. Apparently, Aquafina and Walmart are ew — the gold standard is Poland Spring.