Sunset Beach, Cape May, NJ © pam lazos
Pristine. The word means unspoiled, untouched, or as new, a quaint concept when describing the environment because there is almost no place left on earth that hasn’t been touched by man’s meddling. Today, freshwater supplies are more endangered than ever in human history. When only 0.5% of our freshwater is accessible and useable, and as of today, there are 8.2 billion thirsty people on the planet, I’d say that we will need to rethink some of our choices sooner rather than later.
Add this to the fact that companies are selling us our groundwater — water that belongs to all of us — in small and large plastic bottles that eventually find their way back to our oceans, rivers, and streams because only 10% of plastic bottles are recycled, and I’d say we’re on a fast track to buying the farm. This is America, eh? All’s well that ends well. Except that none of the environmental indicators agree. We can’t live our lives this out of balance and expect the fun Hollywood ending we’ve all gotten used to seeing.
Rather than try to scare the bejeezus out of you with all the dire environmental predictions, this World Water Day, I’ll leave you with a few pieces of prose that will, hopefully, spark your creative fire and encourage you to act on behalf of water.
The first is a free-write from fellow blogger da-AL at Happiness Between Tails, entitled “I Am Water.”
Dictionaries call me transparent.
Yes, I am water, but I’m much more!
As streams, rivers, and oceans, I might be a rainbow of blue and green that shimmers into turquoise.
Watch a rivulet on a sidewalk; you’ll see me as gas-slicked with ruby, emerald, and sepia. Lapping into waves at the beach or against a child’s bath, I’m spun into a milky froth.
Gaze upon my expanse when days or nights are calm; I’ll mirror the sun and sky or the moon and stars. Let wind brush against me, and I’ll challenge diamonds to glitter with more facets than I do and stars to send out more lashes of brilliance.
Crane your neck and watch me hover far above in the wisps and fists of clouds that’ll invite you to imagine are shaped into animals and more. Close your eyes for me to splash your face with silver droplets of rain. Wait for a very cold day to see me drift white snowflake prisms onto tree tops.
Strain me into a glass, and yes, I’ll be dictionary-clear. Allow me to sit, and I’ll give life to green moss. Dark storm clouds of me can churn earthbound bodies of me into silt.
Whatever my color, I am the force that allows your eyes to see me in all my kaleidoscopic glory. Run your fingers through me, and I escape. Cup your hands to drink me, and I’ll nourish you.
Could it be that I, water, am the color of your soul?
Beautiful, right? I can just feel the clouds drifting by, the rain on my face, the prismatic color of water. We are one, water and us.
This next one by prolific author and blogger Mike Steeden is a bit more sardonic but equally profound because all life is a balance, and if you don’t know your liabilities, you can never fully enjoy your assets.
The sky will last forever
The clouds are temporary
In a 100 years from now
What remains will be a poisoned sea
Some will call it tragic
When the sea puts on its show for free
Just rotting fish and plastic
A becalmed toxic destiny
Idiots and profiteers
Sit back and watch it on TV
The carcasses of whales
The cloak of everlasting synthetic debre
It’s already far too late to save
The art of sky and clouds and sea
Maybe you’ll have a picture on the wall
Of nature’s old-days creativity.
Copyright © 2025. All rights reserved. Unauthorised copying, reproduction, hiring, and lending, prohibited.
Beautiful Susquehanna River © pam lazos
I wrote a version of this last one a decade ago when I first started blogging. Sadly, little in the world of water has changed.
I Am Water
I am water. And so are you. At least about 72% of you is, along with the person you love, your kids, friends, and all your acquaintances, all mostly water. Several billion years ago, a few single-celled organisms started focus groups, formed bonds, discussed logistics, and eventually crawled out of the primordial soup. Oceans covered the planet at one time, and dinosaurs roamed the earth. Despite the passage of time, we’re still drinking dinosaur pee.
When I was born, I shared the water on this planet with just over 3 billion people. Today, I’m sharing it with 8.2 billion. By 2030, one-third of these billions of people will not have access to clean drinking water; by 2040, the constant struggle of 9 billion people’s energy needs vs. personal water use will create dire water shortages for the entirety of humanity; by 2050, it could be game over.
Rather than say, “The problem is too big; there is nothing I can do,” say, “I am water.” By aligning yourself with the essence of water, you change the game.
Water is fluid. Water is cleansing. Water is buoyant, intuitive, and multi-dimensional. Water knows how to heal itself, and intrinsically, you do, too.
March 22nd is World Water Day, a day to meditate on the blessings of something seemingly so bountiful and so much a part of us — something we can’t live without. Yet, its future remains precariously balanced. What can you do to ensure it remains here for many generations?
Maybe start by ditching the plastic water bottle — preferably into a recycling bin.
Want to do more? Consider donating to the Lower Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association, where clean water is our top priority.
pam lazos 3.21.25
Originally Published on https://greenlifebluewater.earth/feed/
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