When I was a kid, I wouldn’t have thought twice about drinking from this public drinking fountain. My Mom always warned, “Don’t put your mouth on the spigot”, but I never knew why or gave it a second thought. The mouth guard, that clam-shell shaped thing behind the spigot was supposed to prevent people from actually putting their mouth on the spigot, but, I’ve seen kids put a lip lock on the spigot and suck the water down.
But, even so, I didn’t think that was a big deal as long as I didn’t touch what they touched; if I kept my mouth only on the stream of fresh water coming out, I wouldn’t be catching any of their germs. Public drinking fountains are found everywhere in America: parks, office buildings, public buildings, at every public restroom entrance, etc. Friends from Europe have told me that public drinking fountains are rare because the public water systems are unreliable. Thus, the rise in bottled-water consumption.
This particular fountain was found at the historic sight of Massacre Canyon in south central Nebraska. I wrote about the sight in an earlier blog (click here). It looked like it was still in use, at least by the birds. I wondered how many people would actually use it in this age of bottled water. The water is probably perfectly good, but you never know how many birds have squatted on the mouth guard. Would it even matter if you only touched the stream of water coming out of the spigot? Pray for good water pressure.
Thought for the Day: Wash your hands and say your prayers because germs and Jesus are everywhere. Unknown
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