When life gives you lemons.....

.........make better tasting water. 

For the past few years, I have been part of a water club at work.  It was a pretty sweet deal - $10 for 2 months of unlimited bottled water.  For various reasons, they had to discontinue the water club and those of us in the water club were all left wondering how we were going to quench our thirst and get our daily intake of water without breaking the bank.  Buying small bottles of water on a daily basis would get very expensive AND it would not be good for the environment.

The answer may be obvious to some.  You may be thinking, "just do what most people do and drink out of the tap, right"?!

Well, the problem with that is, I am a bit of a water snob.  I don't like tap water.  Actually, I don't like city tap water.  Not at all.  I think I was spoiled because, as a child, my parents lived in the country where the water that ran from the tap tasted like fresh, cold spring water.  Really, it did.  I think that is where my love for water began.

Then in 1996 I began working on cruise ships and the quality of the water in the taps was very poor so we were told to buy bottled water to drink.  I continued to drink bottled water for the next 7 years that I worked on ships and then that habit just continued once I returned to land for good.  


I have tried city tap water since returning to land but I just can't get past the taste.  I can't explain it but I don't like it.  

So, what was I to do with this situation I found myself in at work? 

For those of you who don't drink a lot of water, this may not seem like an issue.  For me, it was a huge issue.  The thing is - I LOVE water.  I do.  It is my drink of choice.  If you offer me the choice between a glass of milk, juice, pop or water, I will choose water probably 99.9% of the time.  Of course, if you offer me a glass of wine, I may choose that but I was talking about non-alcoholic beverages.  Not only do I prefer water but I drink it a lot.  It is not a chore for me to get the recommended amount into me.  I drink so much that I have even wondered if I was drinking too much (is that even possible)?  

So, back to my work situation.  After going a few days with only having one glass (at the most) of that unbearable tasting water from the fountain, I had to come up with a solution fast.  I was craving my water and I wasn't getting anywhere near the recommended daily amount.  

That night, while I was getting some fruit out of the fridge, I came across two little lemons that had been buried at the bottom of the crisper.  I thought to myself that this may be the solution.  This would hopefully make my fountain water at work bearable.

The next day I brought in one of the lemons, cut up a few slices and added it to my glass of water.  Well, not only was it WAY more bearable, it was absolutely delicious.  I have always liked lemon with water but I never thought to bring some to work.

Who would have thought that such a simple, little citrus fruit could make me so happy?  I am back to drinking my regular amount of water and I feel so much better.

Oh, and one last little added bonus, did you know that lemons have some great health benefits too?  It is a win-win situation!


So, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade (or at least some better tasting water)!