My Mumbling Thoughts

It is something that I do every day. Every. Single. Day. And it's my favorite thing to do. Whoever came up with the shower, is a genius. The idea, yes, seems simple when you first think about it; water cascading over you at a nice temperature so you can cleanse your body from head to toe; and all of the excess water simply washes down the drain, where you don't have to think or worry about it. But the shower, is something that one should savor every day, and not take for granted.

It's a rare occasion that I don't have a shower. I'll either be so ill that I cannot physically get out of bed, and even more rare than that - I just can't be bothered. However, that only lasts for one day, and early on the following morning you'll hear me turn the shower on and relish the entire experience that much more.

I like to consider it time well spent alone. I sort my thoughts out in the shower, think about what I'd like to wear for the day, make lists of things to do, make lists of things I need to do, or more often, I'll day dream and get lost in my own thoughts whilst standing under the falling water. That's always my favorite thing to do; just stand underneath and feel every drop hit my skin. It's relaxing and soothing, and gives the illusion that I'm wrapped up in warm blankets - it's a hot water hug. Sometimes I'll just look down at my skin and find it funny to see that even though my hair is wet, my skin appears to be completely waterproof.

Aside from standing underneath the water with no purpose, I love using new shower products. How much fun is it when you buy new shampoo or body wash and use it for the first time in the shower? It's like a mini Christmas party in your bathroom that you celebrate every few weeks. I like to buy different body soaps, shampoos and conditioners just to see what they're like. What do they smell like when you first crack them open and the steam carries the new scent throughout the room? Are they better or worse than what you've previously used? There are so many different things out there to make the whole showering process more fun. Loofahs and shower gloves are great examples. Nobody out there can say that a loofah hasn't improved their life. The exfoliating of the skin and the new, fresh, clean layer that is exposed after you scrub away all of yesterdays old skin cells. It's amazing.

I know after every shower, I'm going to feel so much better about myself. It's not just a way to clean yourself and make yourself smell better, but a way to wake yourself up before your first cup of coffee early in the morning, a way to kick start yourself and the first step you take in getting ready for the entire day. Without the shower, there would be no blow-drying of the hair, or rolling on fresh deodorant on the surface of clean skin. It is the first, necessary step to do anything. You know that people always take a shower when they're ill, or take showers to cool off when they're angry, or they'll take a shower to be alone and cry. Showers are, in a way, therapeutic. Who needs a therapist when you can just jump in the shower for a little bit and come out feeling that. much. better.

So when people ask me why I take up to fifteen to twenty minutes in the shower every day, that is my response. Who wouldn't love to live underneath the hot water that stings at first and turns your skin slightly red? Who doesn't love re-creating a sauna every single day in their bathroom and feel their skin begin to wrinkle? Who doesn't get that comforting feeling underneath the shower head, and get lost in their own world and not worry about what's going on outside of the bathroom door? It is a brilliant place, and if I could, I'd stay for longer. And when I finally turn the water off, wring out my hair, shake off my limbs, step out on the bath rug, wrap myself in my towel and make sure it's tucked in snug underneath my armpits, I'll take a deep breath and continue with the rest of my day that is so much nicer now that I've started it off right with a lengthy shower.