I had two experiences that made me actually see what a vital substance water is. I saw how being hydrated makes a difference to both life and land, a lifesaving difference.

A few years ago, Gerry came in from outside confused, not able to function correctly mentally or physically. Very alarming. I thought he must be having a stroke and quickly led him to the car and rushed to the emergency room. I knew strokes needed immediate attention.

His symptoms alarmed the medical staff too and they started tests immediately, no waiting. Well, it turned out that he was dehydrated, no stroke. They gave him IV fluids, and his alertness revived. What a relief! The doctor on duty explained that many people lose their sense of thirst when they age.

That sure was good to know, and Gerry fell into that category. He just wasn’t thirsty, and it is hard to drink when you truly don’t feel like it. That was something we had to overcome, and I’m embarrassed to tell the tactic I used to get him to drink his glass of water at mealtime, but my friends know it so they’d know what I’m leaving out of the story if I don’t ’fess up.

After the next meal, I poured a small amount of the water he had left in his glass on his head saying, “You have to get this water one way or another.” Of course, he knew I loved him — we wives have to come up with clever schemes to maintain old husbands. Anyway, it only happened once. Now when I pleasantly ask, “Are you going to finish your water?” he always says, “Yes,” and he’s not had another episode with dehydration.

That story shows how important water is to human life. The next story shows how important water is to land, and it was dramatically revealed to us recently when we were in Egypt on the Nile River.

The land along the river is beautifully lush with tropical greenery. And, every mile or so there are irrigation stations along the shore, stations that channel river water to the land to support the farms and people. Some of the stations are for plant irrigation, some to filter the water for drinking. It must have taken great engineering skills to design such a fantastic life-giving system.

We stopped every day to visit the small villages, meet the people, and tour the farms. We admired the gardens that flourished with vegetables for the table and grasses for the animals. We had to walk carefully beside the small ditches that bring water to the plants and fruit trees — mangos, bananas, citrus fruits, stately date palms. (We never had fresh dates before, so moist and sweet.)

Then, just beyond this lush green growth along the shoreline where the land is irrigated, the landscape changes abruptly to barren sand dunes that rise right behind the area where the irrigation ends. The dunes form a dramatically contrasting backdrop to the fertile farmland. It sure shows a traveler how very crucial the water supply from the river is to the land. Without the Nile River, the country would be a desert.

Both plants and animals need water to survive. Water brings nutrients to our cells, gets rid of body wastes, protects our joints and organs, and maintains our body temperature. Life could not exist without water, land could not be productive without it. Water is the lifeblood of the world.

Carole Gariepy lives in Phillipston.