I am blessed to live in an area that has an abundance of natural mineral springs. For many years, the springs near my home have been out of commission but recent years have brought back their revival to the good fortune of residents and tourists alike. Of course the mineral springs and the land surrounding it were considered sacred by the Native Americans where they believed the spirit of the gods and humankind interacted. The Nations of the Ute, Cheyenne, Arapaho, and Kiowa designated this sacred area as neutral ground for all. However, with the acquisition of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 and President Jefferson ordering several military surveys of the area, the springs were discovered by the white men and all the turbulent history typical of the Wild West unfolded. Sad, and unfortunately true.

Touted as possessing enormous health benefits even 200 years ago, each spring has its own unique mineral content. Believed to be several thousand years old, the water rises naturally from aquifers deep below ground where it absorbs minerals in high concentrations, sometimes 2 to 3 times the amount found at more familiar springs. But it is the bubbles though… that intense effervescence caused by high concentrations of carbonic acid that makes the water here a cut above.

Off the beaten path, one of the lesser known mineral springs is called Twin Spring, a local favorite. Really… it so unobtrusive you almost miss it unless you know it is there. Called Happy Water or Feel Good Water by well versed locals, it is known for its lithium content. Clocking in as a mere trace of lithium (I think 22 ppm), it is probably the rich calcium and potassium concentrations, as well as other minerals that are really responsible for that 'feel good' factor. Or maybe it’s just the bubbles. It is purported to make the best lemonade in the known universe. All I know is that it is the most sublime water I have ever tasted. Straight from the spring (which flows continuously), it is the perfect temperature, cool, and tangy… and oh so bubbly in that gentle effervescence of naturally sparkling mineral water. This water is also known for its diuretic effects so I do limit myself to one glass per day.

I have been indulging in this special… and dare I say… FREE treat now for a couple weeks. Being unbottled water, it does lose its delightful bubbliness after a day or so. And after about a week the taste begins to lose its tang and go flat. Perhaps my plants will enjoy it at that point. I must say though… to have such a delightful and free mineral water at my disposal... definitely Feels Good to me.

Ah… a good question… I feel like I have been swimming underwater for several months now waiting for an air hole to open up in the ice above…

I have been working with my diet for awhile, trying out the Nomad GenoType Diet for size. I find that at this point, it does not fit me very well. This is a little disconcerting as it really isn’t that much different from the B secretor recommendations that I have been so loyal to all these years. With the GTD, I continue to have difficulty with periodic blood sugar swings, and my seasonal allergies have kicked up a few notches this year too. As Dr. D’Adamo says in “The Genotype Diet”… “One clue: The right diet will always make you feel better, not worse.” On the quiz, I do score higher on the BTD than the GTD as well. So there you go.

There are some concepts from the GTD that I do include, although I hesitate to combine both diets… I just do not think that is the best compromise. As I have written before, I think gluten is something of an issue for me but I have chosen to do low-gluten rather than no-gluten as the no-gluten grains just do not have enough bulk for me. I changed my brown rice choice to a medium grain, rather than long grain… not as fluffy but more heft to it that helps. I might even go back to short grain from my macrobiotic days, we’ll see. But I do eat spelt bread on occasion, and use spelt flour in a couple recipes. I have been pleased to find that most of my favorite recipes easily adapt to rice flour or a rice/oat flour combo. I have added wakame to my bean cooking water for now… not the same as my beloved miso of the distant past but I have been trying to find a way to incorporate more of a sea veggie intake and this is any easy way to do that.

When reading the Nomad profile, I guffawed out loud when I read that nomads tend to “sleep restfully” Uh… yeah…. Not Me. One of my earliest memories is lying awake in bed at night. Often. While everyone else in the household slept. I think in my earlier years, I just thought that was the natural pattern of sleep, being awake for portions of the night. Sleeping well, and 'restfully', has certainly been, and continues to be one of my biggest health challenges. I have begun taking time to meditate again. I know the positive effects of meditation are really felt over time, not the quick solution by any means. I hope I have the where-with-all to make it a daily practice… once again. It is frustrating, isn’t it?… to have all the tools needed for glorious, radiant health and well-being and then to find oneself not using them. One of the conundrums of being human.