TYTFG* #4: Water

Cool-- (Water!)

Clear--(Water!)

Water! (...Water!)

(Thanks, Roy.)

I'll admit, this one never even crossed my mind in driving school. But it's important, and harder to come by than you think.

As you know, I haven't been at this long, so I can't speak for the "old days." But in the past few months, I have seen exactly two truck stops with water fountains. Whether they were once more common I cannot say. I do wonder whether the discovery that they could SELL you water at premium soft-drink prices had any effect on the situation...

I can't remember at the moment how much water the Health-Priests say you're supposed to drink every day. I do know I'd spend more on water than food, if I got it at truck stop prices.

And yet, you really do need the stuff. I have more than once spent a day seemingly half-asleep, with no energy and not much tendency to pay attention to the things around me. And then I would find a place that had a water fountain, drink the stuff down for (seemingly) five minutes straight, and suddenly I was awake, aware, and ready to go. Dehydration is real.

What to do? Suddenly the guys who fill their sleeper's luggage compartment with cheap bottled water have more sympathy from me. But spending even that much on water isn't in the cards for me right now. So I find myself frequenting Interstate rest areas more and more. They'll sell you bottled water, too--just look at those vending machines. But they haven't yet torn out the fountains to eliminate the competition.

I wonder what I'll do when they decide to.

-----

*Things You Took For Granted