Here it is, February already! It’s the month with Valentine’s Day, which brings to mind that love is something that’s all around us, every day; it’s present throughout the world; it’s part of our daily lives, and it sustains us through the year.
That description applies equally to our favorite subject: WATER.
While humans have an unlimited supply of love, that’s not the case with the earth’s water. Water is crucial to maintaining thriving families and communities, sustaining healthy ecosystems and habitats, and supporting all life on our planet, including humans. Like love, water is global. It covers over 70% of the earth’s surface and is present in the air, rivers, lakes, ice caps, glaciers, and aquifers – and in all living things.
However…while there can certainly be “new love,” there is no new water. As noted in National Geographic magazine, “All the water that will ever be…is right now!” Our water is absolutely a limited supply, constantly being reused through the natural water cycle. As the substance which literally gives us life, the substance on which we all depend, it must be appreciated, preserved, and protected.
To bring that point home in this month of February, I’d like to offer a few notable quotes that help express the true value of the limited supply of the very essence of life on earth – water. Some of these quotes compare love and water. In others, I think you’ll find that the word “water” could be replaced by the word “love,” which further illustrates the importance of both of these elements!
“When the well’s dry, we know the worth of water.” – Benjamin Franklin
“Thousands have lived without love, not one without water.” – W. H. Auden
“Water is the most critical resource issue of our lifetime and our children’s lifetime. The health of our waters is the principal measure of how we live on the land.” – Luna Leopold
“Love, like a river, will cut a new path whenever it meets an obstacle.” – Crystal Middlemas
“Water is the mother of the vine, the nurse and fountain of fecundity, the adorner and refresher of the world.” – Charles Mackay
“Anyone who can solve the problems of water will be worthy of two Nobel prizes – one for peace and one for science.” – John F Kennedy
“Love is like water. We can fall in it. We can drown in it. And we can’t live without it.” - Unknown
“They both listened silently to the water, which to them was not just water, but the voice of life, the voice of Being, the voice of perpetual Becoming.” – Hermann Hesse
“Water links us to our neighbor in a way more profound and complex than any other” – John Thorson
“We forget that the water cycle and the life cycle are one.” – Jacques Cousteau
“Wondering if you are Love is like the ocean wondering if it is water.” – Unknown
“Clean water is inestimably precious to waste!” – Mohith Agadi
“In one drop of water are found all the secrets of all the oceans; in one aspect of you are found all the aspects of existence.” – Kahlil Gibran
“Pure water is the world’s first and foremost medicine.” – Slovakian Proverb
“Water is the driving force in nature.” – Leonardo da Vinci
“A river doesn’t just carry water, it carries life.” – Amit Kalantri
“The water caresses in the glass, like love in the body.” - Charles de Leusse
“Water is the lifeblood of our bodies, our economy, our nation, and our well-being.” – Stephen Johnson
“Between the Earth and the Earth’s atmosphere, the amount of water remains constant; there is never a drop more, never a drop less.” – Linda Hogan
Over the years we’ve done several columns in the spirit of “For the Love Of…” which have included books, movies, and podcasts featuring water. I hope you enjoyed this year’s column of featuring a variety of water (and love!) quotes. Which one is your favorite, that particularly speaks to you? Do you know of another quote about water that you’d like to share? Send me an email at outreach@soquelcreekwater.org and let me know.
And, be sure to visit www.soquelcreekwater.org to learn about all the things we’re doing to provide a safe, clean, reliable supply of water for the community. For us here at the District, water really is like love – it must be nurtured and protected, and we work every day to ensure the water supply thrives, so it can be shared with others.
Have a great February and a wonderful Valentine’s Day!
