Bath Time Reflection #1

Some people think most clearly when going for a hike, or meditating in a temple, or during a nice long drive. I think most clearly when I am in the shower. It hasn't been so easy however in Thailand, since its kindda hard to relax and let your mind wander during a cold bucket shower. But last night I had a sudden thought and I just ran away with it. And its funny because the thing that inspired it was the very thing that has made my bath time reflections a little more challenging: the bucket shower.

The Peace Corps is like a bucket shower.
You are hot and sticky and know that a bucket shower is something you want.
It gets to a point that you know it is something you NEED
and you know it would refresh you in the
way you want and need to be refreshed.
Some people just jump right in.
Some people decide that while its a good idea, they'll wait for the nice warm shower
that SHOULD come one day. After all, there is always deoderant.
Some decide to bend over and just wet their hair...it will make them look like they took the shower.
For those who do decide to take the shower, it usually takes a process.
First, you wet your hair a bit
Splash some water on your feet
Pat your back a little bit with wet hands and maybe your neck
Put some water behind the knees
Just getting ready...for the big one.
And finally, you jump right in!
You take a huge scoop of water and BAM!...you let it just drop on you.
At that moment, time seems to stop. Your heart beats faster and faster. You are freezing!
You are already wet so you figure, "what the heck" and BAM, another big one and yet another.
You'd figure three big ones in that it should feel easier and alot less cold but no...
each one still sets you shivering.
Then another one and another one....
and you begin to feel the difference...
Its NOT necessarily less cold nor is it easier but you feel GOOD and you feel more AWAKE and more FRESH.
You start lathering up the soap and rubbing the shampoo on your hair and at this point you know you are almost done.
Maybe at this time you actually look at the water and notice that its not the cleanest water in the world.
A few bugs floating around...maybe a few strands of hair that clearly are not yours...and it can be pretty gross.
You know you could stop there...maybe throw one more bucket or two to wash out the soap and shampoo.
Or, you could choose to realize that millions of people bathe in even dirtier water.
You could realize that millions of people don't even get the chance to take a bucket shower.
You could realize that millions of people who DO have the opportunity for a bucket shower decide to stick to the deodorant.
And when you think this way, you might realize that while bugs and hair in the water kindda suck, they won't kill you (and you also sort of begin to admit to yourself that the water feels pretty damn good)
So you throw in another one and now the soap and shampoo are gone and you could end the shower but now you REALLY like the water--you like how ALIVE each new splash makes you feel so you throw a few more before finally reaching for the towel.
As you dry yourself, you realize the shower actually went by so quickly.
You probably spent more time getting ready for the first big splash than you did the entire shower.
And as you dry off you can't stop noticing how refreshed you feel.
And while deoderant may have made you smell just as nice without having to go through the shower...YOU KNOW IT WOULD NOT HAVE FELT QUITE AS GOOD.