I'd like to think of myself as more of a health aficionado than a guru. I don’t know everything there is to know about health, but I know that one founding principle is that drinking water, and lots of it, is good for you.
With this thought ever at the forefront of my mind, I’ve gone through tons of water bottles over the years. I’ve searched relentlessly for the right water bottle to fit my weirdly specific needs. Said needs over time have consisted of being aesthetically pleasing, easily cleanable, BPA free, large capacity, straw included, anti-straw, with handles, durable, etc. Of all the random and rapidly changing preferences I’ve had for my water bottles, one desire remained top priority: NO LEAKING!!
Leaks from bottles in the past have had the ability to ruin my entire day. The way water, even the smallest amount, creeps out and ruins an important document, or spills onto my shirt when I’m walking into a meeting while carrying it…no matter how big or small the offense, leaks were NEVER welcomed here.
So I’ve always searched for bottles that had the superpower of leak prevention. After about 10 bottle purchases over the last 3 years or so, I recently bought a water bottle that I thought would end my search for good. It was the first time I had purchased a bottle with a schedule printed on it to ensure I was drinking my desired amount in a day. It wasn’t as fancy as bottles I had purchased before. It didn’t have any modern mouth pieces or built-in straws. In fact, outside of the handy reminder schedule, it was actually one of the most unassuming, plain bottles I had ever purchased. It had a simple, twist cap that sealed the bottle, it was clear, with black lettering for the schedule and that’s about as sexy as it got. No bells or whistles with this bottle, but one thing was different. After about a week or two of carrying it daily, I noticed that I hadn’t experienced a single leak! No ruined papers, no wet spots reminiscent of sweat stains, just a fully functioning, leak-free bottle from what I had gathered.
I had made up in my mind that this bottle was perfect; the best bottle I ever had. I would fearlessly whip my bottle around, tossing into work bags, happily pulling it out without care. Then one day, the water bottle that I had previously praised for its seeming perfection, brought my leakless reign to a screeching halt. There it was, in plain sight…a leak. I felt used. Hoodwinked. Bamboozled. Run amok! (Sorry, Netflix and chill has been Spike Lee themed as of late). The point is, this bottle, like all the ones before it, had let me down. Something different occurred however this time around. As quickly as I realized that this bottle was no different, I also had a somewhat life altering epiphany from that realization and its this epiphany that I’d like to share with you.
Lessons
- Like, people, no water bottle is perfect. Some are cuter, smarter than others, some have greater capabilities, but no bottle has it all. Understanding that will make shopping easier.
- Misunderstanding the purpose of the bottle, invites dissatisfaction. Somehow over the years, I lost sight of the ultimate goal of the water bottle: to supply me some freakin' water when I wanted it. When I went back to that initial goal, I realized how much money I wasted on bottles, because they all were fulfilling their purpose…what they were advertised to be.
- Sometimes, what we deem as imperfections or faults in others, are reactions to us and our actions. I learned with this last bottle that sometimes, bottles leaked because the tops just aren’t screwed on tightly enough, and each time, that was fault of my own. Not the bottle’s. I have a friend that used to annoy me. You know the ones you love to death but still drive u up the wall? Well that friend rarely bothers me now, because I realized that sometimes its the things I say first, that yield the comments from her that used to make me crazy. Now this isn’t to say that everyone’s imperfections are the direct result of yours. But i do think its healthy to evaluate our own roles in conversation, in thought and in energy.
So next time, I’ll allow the small leak to lead to a smile and even reflection, because I know that there’s still water in that bottle and it’s still doing its job. Cheers to all those poppin [water] bottles all over the world. Hopefully this post will inspire you to be a little sweeter to them, cuz they're likely doing the best they can. :)