#2908 three things: 1 out of 100, you don't have to finish it, and big water

I realized that each of these topics could be a separate post each, so I'll keep them brief for our purposes here.

1. One out of a hundred. Last night I volunteered at the Lyle Lovett concert at Red Butte Garden. My job was a line attendant, and part of that role is to help people get through the ticket lines as quickly and easily as possible by pointing out the shortest lines, answering quick questions, and moving folks along that suddenly stop in the path or block the way (it happens more than you'd think.) Most people are friendly and happy to be going to a show. They are grateful to be directed to the shortest lines, and often say thanks as they pass. There are always one of two people, though, that complain about something, and take out their frustration on me because I am there or because I don't give them the answer they want. 

I was thinking about my experience last night, and sure enough, my thoughts came back to a man who got angry and annoyed. He swore and kicked the barrier in frustration and told me how pissed off he was at the whole situation. I've got hundreds of people coming toward me to get into this show, and this one man temporarily stole my attention and my good energy with his nastiness. I helped him as well as I could, but it clearly wasn't the information he hoped to get. I tried to recall the friendly, pleasant people who smiled and said hi. Is it human nature, or just my nature, to dwell on the one person who put a damper on my mood?

2. You don't have to finish it. This year, there have been three or four books that I have started and did not finish. I either got bored, stopped caring about the characters and the story, or just flat out didn't like the story or the writing. I felt kind of bad about it the first time I gave up on a book, but then I looked at my TBR (to be read) pile and told myself that there are a whole lot of books and only limited time to read, so enjoy the books you do read. There's no shame or problem with putting down a book you are not into. Thinking back, I've become way more discerning and willing to stop reading if I'm bored. On to the next, I say!

3. Big water drinking in the USA. A few weeks ago, I saw a post on Instagram from an American woman who now lives in England. She was jokingly pointing out the difference between drinking water in the U.S. compared to Europe. The Europeans, according to this woman, just get a glass of water from the tap when they are thirsty, drink it, and move along with their day, just getting a glass of water when they feel thirsty. Americans, on the other hand, will have a good-sized insulated cup or bottle that we carry around with us at all time. I admit I'm guilty of this. I have a 32 oz Yeti/Stanley type insulated cup that I keep filled at all times, and I sip water constantly throughout the day.  Am I more hydrated than my European friends? I doubt it.

I was thinking about it today, and I certainly didn't see my cousins walking around with a bottle of water everywhere they went. When they were thirsty, they would get a glass, a normal size eight ounce drinking glass, fill it, and drink. I would fill my insulated bottle with ice and water and carry it around. I wonder if that is a an outcome of diet culture in the U.S. When I was in WW, we were told to drink at least 64 ounces of water a day, or half our body weight in water. So if I was 200 pounds, I'd drink 100 ounces of water daily. There are lots of apps and trackers for making sure one is drinking enough water every day. Is it too much? Am I bloated and sloshy because there's too much water on board? 

These are questions I ponder.