I was watching people drink

I recently drove Marge around Cape while she was delivering some odds and ends to friends of hers, so I spent some time on campus watching the students. This may sound weird, but I enjoy watching people when they aren't aware of it. One thing I wasn't surprised about was that everyone was packing a bottle or jug of something to drink. These jugs or bottles were from tiny water bottles to what looked like half-gallon containers. I figured most probably had water in them, but some may have had some kind of sport drink. It would be interesting to find out how many were water, soda, sports drink or whatever and how many had ice.

Back growing up we never thought about carrying a jug or thermos along. Many times Mick and I'd take our horses and spend the whole day riding or searching for arrowheads or exploring. If we got thirsty, there was usually a windmill close by to get a drink from. If the wind was still and the windmill wasn't pumping, we drank out of the tank. Sometimes didn't taste the best but never killed us, but looking back we didn't need a water bottle with us all the time like today.

I wonder why there is a need to seemingly always have or need a drink container along all the time. I wonder if our drinking patterns have changed through the years. Back in the day, when you tipped the burlap-wrapped A&W glass gallon jug up for a drink, it was for several swallows. I've watched people drinking today from their drink bottles and it's more like sipping than drinking. And honestly I'm just as guilty as they are. I have several of those metal cups that keep iced tea cold all day. My favorite is about a 16- to 20-ounce cup our son gave me. It's been dropped and dented up and treated rough, but it still works.

Thirty years ago most of my friends carried a Stanley thermos and you could guarantee it had black coffee in it. Some used the little cup on the thermos but most just drank from the spout. I have a small metal thermos I carry now and then, and it's always hot coffee. It's used mostly when I go fishing or deer hunting. I add a little half-n-half to my thermos. I think it's a Stanley as well. The bottom end is dented up pretty good, but that doesn't bother it. Those old glass thermoses would have been toast if dropped.

Back when, we packed a small thermos to school with us in our Lone Ranger lunch box. Sometimes Mom put soup in it. We had water at school, so no need to pack water. Most of the kids back than weren't into tea either. Tang was the drink that was "the thing to drink" back then. Probably pure sugar but that was before I came down with diabetes. Everybody used to say if we ate too much candy as a kid we'd get diabetes. I kind of think that was all hooey to be honest.

One thing I thought about was the fact that back then we had community water buckets, and we used the same dipper. At school we had a common water bucket and one water dipper that we all used. And many times whether we were working or fishing or even throwing horseshoes, we all shared the same water jug. We never even thought about getting cooties from our friends or neighbors. We joked about them but mostly getting them from the girls. Never had to worry about Covid or even the flu. I can't remember ever getting the flu.

Today no one drinks from the water fountains, if there are any left. Today we are continually wiping our hands with sanitizer and heaven forbid we drink from the same water bottle.

We've come a long ways in some ways but at the same time slid backwards as well. I kind of wish it was still safe to take one burlap-wrapped A&W jug full of water fishing and it was safe to share.