When did you stop taking bathtubs?
Why did you stop?
In this world that is so fast paced... where it is so hard to find breaks... you need to think about the ways that we can "micro mediate" and slow down...
The faster we move...
the harder it is to enjoy the moment
the harder it is to understand the moment
the harder it is to achieve harmony...
Harmony requires slowing down, if even for a moment, to catch our breath.
I find that VERY few adults take a bath in a bathtub. I am one of the weird ones...
I probably still take a bath 3 - 4 times per week... even if its a quick one.
Not having to wash my hair is probably a logistical reason, why its easier for me than some...
But, why did you stop taking baths?
It's one of those things... if you really enjoyed it... why not continue it. It takes only a moment longer, and possibly it will make you slow down for just a moment and relax. Not a bad thing.
A shower can also be an amazing break for your body... but, standing up, when I am in the shower, I am more conscious of "moving on with the day". While that feeling is also with me in the tub, it feels like a real treat... even if its a 5 or 10 minute break.
IF you are one that enjoys a hot bath, don't you deserve one more often. I hear so many people say, I NEVER use my bathtub... I always think to myself... is it because you don't like it, or because you never are willing to take 5 extra minutes to relax.
I find myself in the same exact thougth pattern driving to work.
I drive by a Starbucks that has the 10,000 dollar Clover machine that makes possibly the best cup of black coffee in the commercial world...
Everyday I pass the Starbucks and I think to myself... "do I have time?"...
It probably takes 4 - 6 minutes to stop and get a wonderful cup of clover antigua guatemala black coffee...
So many days, I don't stop. I am not willing to take the 4 to 6 minutes extra...
SO, SO, SO, SO, SO, SO, SAD...
I get to work and I spend 2 minutes getting a much less enjoyable (though still decent) cup of coffee, so my net increase in time is 2 - 4 minutes...
Trust me, I write this note feeling as harried as I have felt in a very long time.
My body and my mind need a break. I can feel it. I don't have the same level of "fuel" in my tank. Simple things are requiring more of my will power... And, its Monday morning. So, I am not one that has this problem licked... just someone that is aware of the conversation we have with ourselves and the decisions that we make....
My wife did an amazing job redesigning our bathroom. I can now stretch my legs all the way out in my tub, and it is an amazing experience.
I have the great fortune of having a Starbucks near me, one of the few, that has the Clover coffee machine....
What are the simple things in your life that you are choosing not to do, to save 2 minutes or a couple of bucks?
Harmony requires being in the moment, and to be in the moment we can't always be sprinting through it...
Whether it be a hot bath or a cup of great coffee...
Take the minutes that it takes to slow down...
YOU deserve it. YOU need it. YOU've earned it.
Yours in hot water and hot coffee harmony!
Nestor