It’s day five of the fifth trip to our island. We don’t yet have any sort of permanent structure, so even with cots, sleep isn’t perfect. And there’s the irregular meal schedule, the hard work, and the lack of good hygiene. All of these factors wear you down a little bit as the days go on.
Today we were all exhausted. We woke up early, but no one made a move to get done the things which needed doing. We punted around through the forest looking for good branches for torches, our latest obsession, but mostly we waited until it was time to leave the island.
We had scheduled a tour at 2:30 at Oak Island, which is just a couple hours away. The tour group was surprisingly large, maybe fifty people or so. We hiked all throughout the island, learning about it and seeing firsthand some of the strange clues pointing towards possible treasure.
As we hiked in the heat on the island, I noticed that I was really lagging. Mentally, I wasn’t all there. Physically, I was tired. By the end, the three of us were sitting down while the guide talked. We were the only ones not to stand.
On the way out, we couldn’t help but stop at the gift shop and buy bottles of water. We were going grocery shopping a bit later, but I couldn’t wait. Each of us chugged a liter of water.
Then we went to dinner, even though none of us was that hungry. With no permanent structure on the island to store food, meals are mostly off-campus, so we get them in while we can. We sat down at a Thai restaurant and each chugged down a tall glass of water, and then another.
By the end of the meal, we’d each put down at least half a gallon of water. Conversation was livelier, I felt one hundred and eighty degrees better, and we talked for the first time that day of work to be done. Previously it had felt like too much to even think about.
It’s amazing how often water is the solution to physical problems. I drink a couple tall glasses of water as a matter of course whenever I’m tired. Most of the time it rejuevates me. On the very rare occasion I get sick, I just drink tons of water until it goes away. I’ve never taken any medication, including over the counter stuff like aspirin. On days like today, when I feel worn down, water can change everything.
Sometimes we look too far for answers to our questions, when easier ones are in plain sight. If there’s anything that exists that can be considered a magical elixir, it’s water. It’s so effective, it might be a good habit to just drink water whenever you have any sort of problem at all, mental or physical. It’s not going to hurt, and it may help to a surprising degree.
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Just finished the fifth visit to the island, which will be the last of this season (for me at least). Expect a post soon with an update about all that we’ve done.
Next I’m going to SF for a week where I’ll be going to my first UFC fight ever, then heading to Vancouver for a cruise to Japan.
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