Bathing Wastes Water

We’ve all learned that being good stewards of the planet includes not wasting our water supply. It is just common knowledge. So if you know me, tie yourself to the chair or better yet, just lay down (Is that “lay” or “lie” because I can’t ever remember which to use?) on the couch with the laptop while you read because I don’t want you to hit your head as you fall out from shock. It’s going to get stinky.

My grandmother, lovingly referred to as Mam-Maw, needed everything to be clean and she handed down,depending on your point of view, that flaw, passion, obsession or fantastic characteristic to the members of her family. She spent almost every spare minute performing some act of cleaning. The rest of her waking hours were spent in being of service to my grandfather, Gran-Gran.

When I visited every weekend, she put me to work dusting a billion knick-knacks and I do not exaggerate a bit. I also re-folded the dishtowels that filled a huge drawer in the kitchen, cleaned the glass on the doors, swept the porches and fetched her a million things to help throughout the day.

By the time night rolled around, it was time to bathe. Of course, Mam-Maw had already made me wash my hands a ton of times, so I didn’t think I was all that dirty. I loved sitting in the bathtub and so I willingly bathed thinking that I would then be clean.

But, no, no, no. I was wrong.

After sitting in the bathe tub so long that my fingers and toes were as wrinkled as a thousand year old woman, I slipped into my flannel pajamas and slippers while proclaiming myself to be, “All clean!” I would later learn that one is never truly all clean because there is at least one more thing that can be cleaned.

That has been the routine passed down from generation to generation. One of the greatest joys in life is taking a shower that lasts so long, all the hot water is drained from the hot water heater. That takes about twenty to thirty minutes, so I really enjoy the relaxation of water beating down on my usually tired, achy muscles.

Let’s jump back a week…

Alyssa turned eighteen years old. I’ve known this was going to happen for quite a while. Okay, so I’ve been expecting that day for eighteen years and nine months, but who is counting?

As excited as she was to hit the milestone, I was excited and saddened equally. It is a beautiful miracle looking at your own child who has turned into a beautiful woman while knowing that you had a huge part in molding her life. Believe me when I say, I’ve spent more time with my child than the average parent which is why I was also very sad too at her age accomplishment. My little girl has grown up and no longer needs me to brush her teeth, pick out her clothes, cut her food, and a billion other things that I found to be totally fulfilling.

Yes, this post is still discussing bathing…just hang on and keep your twitchy finger off the mouse clicker.

Uh, huh. I do have a spy camera set up in your house, so I can see you.

Anyway, last week the transmission in my car went to car-parts-Heaven. I can’t really complain because I’ve known it was “going” for two years, but just because I drive a twelve year old car, doesn’t mean that I’m ready to get a new vehicle yet. The song from “My Fair Lady” says it best:

I’ve grown accustomed to his face,
He almost makes the day begin,
I’ve grown accustomed to the tune he whistles night and noon.
His smiles, his frowns,
His ups his downs are second nature to me know
Like breathing out and breathing in.

I was so really independent and content before we met,
Surely i could always be that way again and yet
I’ve grown accustomed to his looks…

Yeah, I have a love affair with my car. I’m going to have to save for awhile before I can renew that relationship.

I also had a two hour session with my therapist. Ah, yes, the therapist. I have to see him all the time because as much as I would like to “pray it away,” or “drug it away,” I must cope with my PTSD to make it go away.

Cope.

*sigh* I’m trying.

Adding to the list is the pressure to complete my new blog redesign. So in the midst of all the messes in my life, I have been learning more coding techniques and trying to be creative.

That’s where the bathing comes in…

I had Friday off from work, so I didn’t set my alarm the night before which caused me to sleep until noon. It was a very weird feeling to wake up so late, but a weirdness I enjoyed.

Anyway, I jumped up and started looking at my new blog design with a fresh eye. I coded, researched, read, looked at it all critically, then coded some more.

Breakfast was combined with a quick lunch and I didn’t cook dinner.

I was really in a groove by the time 10:00 p.m. rolled around.

No, I had no intention of quitting to go to bed yet!

Everyone else went to bed.

The phone stopped ringing.

Silence permeated my home except for the clicking of the computer keyboard and mouse.

I started to feel a little tired, but I just rubbed my eyes and persevered. I was rather surprised when a voice said, “You are still up?! It’s morning!”

That’s when I turned to look out the window which proved a new bright and sunny day had arrived. I had not moved from my chair since 10:00 p.m. the night before and it was now 6:30 a.m. Saturday.

So I did what any normal person would do…I ate breakfast which revived me with more energy to continue my coding research and implementation. I took a two hour nap and upon waking, my subconscious had helped me decide on some answers to a few questions that were running through my mind.

I ran to the computer and started typing. Before I knew it, the clock in the corner of my computer monitor read 1:35 a.m. Sunday morning. It was Easter.

THAT’S when it hit me.

I had barely moved from my chair and had missed baths on:

• Friday morning (groggily walked to my computer)
• Friday night (is just a blur of typing)
• Saturday morning (can’t believe it arrived so quickly)
• Saturday night (well, 1:35 a.m. Sunday is still Saturday night, right?)

I apparently am not as obsessed with cleanliness as Mam-Maw or at least not as much as I am at working on the internet. To put everyone’s mind at ease, I did finally bathe and drained the hot water heater. I used all the water I saved from not bathing at one fell swoop (Macbeth, 1605 – Didn’t know I was so well versed?). Obviously, bathing may be a waste of water for some people, but I’m not giving up my great showers. I’m sure my family and friends are glad of that fact too.

Now we have come full circle and it is still bothering me about whether you should “just lay down” or “lie down” on the couch. I better go look up the grammar or it will bother me all night.