A Bowl of Water

On this health journey, I try to walk as often and as much as I can, but it isn't always easy to stay consistent with the extreme swings in temperature.

On bad days, like when it rains, I may only get in 4,000 to 5,000 steps. On days when I'm feeling good, that number can be as high as 24,000.

That's a big difference, but you don't feel the same every day.

Some days you wake up and just don't have it.

Other days you do.

Now, during this heat wave, you have to think about your health before you even step outside.

It's supposed to be one of the hottest summers on record.

To put that into perspective, it's supposed to reach 36°C with a humidex of 42. That's 98°F, but it feels more like 107°F.

I pray for anyone who has to be out in it today.

Stay hydrated.

While I've been out walking, I've noticed something interesting.

At the end of many driveways, there's a simple bowl of water.

At first, I thought it had been left there by accident.

Then I realized it was there for people walking their dogs.

It's easy to know when you're thirsty, and you probably notice when your dog is too. The problem is you may be too far from home to do anything about it.

Someone else had already thought of that.

They had experienced the same problem with their own dog and decided to leave out a bowl of water to make someone else's journey a little easier.

Nothing said.

No recognition expected.

Just a simple act of kindness from someone who understood.

That Little Bowl of Water Wasn't Really About the Dogs

That little bowl of water wasn't really about the dogs.

It was about someone remembering what it felt like to need help.

I think that's what building a community is really about.

You help others where you can because you've been where they are.

You remove obstacles you once had to overcome yourself.

And if enough people do that, everyone benefits.

Sometimes building a community isn't about creating something big.

Sometimes it's as simple as leaving a bowl of water at the end of the driveway.