I’ve been thinking a lot about water lately. Maybe it’s because we didn’t have much precipitation for months and months and now the snow just keeps coming. Or maybe it’s because more than 70% of Earth is covered in it, but only 3% of that is freshwater. Or maybe it’s because I just finished a month of brainstorming picture book ideas (Storystorm!) and so my “idea brain” is on full alert. But no matter, today my musings are about water.

The water cycle is an amazing process, but that’s not what’s been on my brain. Instead, I’ve been thinking about all the places we might find water and all the forms it takes. Let’s start easy: water is rain, snow, and sleet; oceans, lakes, and rivers are water. But water is also the puddle we slosh through, on the hill we sled down, and the ice we slide on. It’s the pool we swim in, the ice cubes in our drinks, and the shower we take.

But if we dig deeper, there’s so much more. Like a dew drop reflecting the sun. It can take the form of team rising off a hot cup of tea. It’s evident in the exhalation of whale. It’s curlicue icicles and glaciers and permafrost. It’s geysers and hot springs and ancient aquifers of water that rained on the backs of dinosaurs. Water takes the form of fog and clouds and humidity. It’s the sweat on our skin. When we see our breath, we’re seeing the moisture from our warm breath condense into tiny visible droplets in the cool air. The adult body itself is actually 60% water!

So I challenge you. As you go about your day, think about water. Notice water all around you, both visible and hidden. Think about all the forms it takes. Does it make you think differently about water? I hope so!