A Shower a Day keeps the Doldrums at Bay

Do you shower once a day, twice a day? Has your shower become a ritual when all thoughts collide and dissolve like the gentle drum of the water from a magnificent rainwater shower head.

What would it be like if you couldn’t wallow in that little tile and glass container, with your head tilted longingly so that the warmth courses down your back in just the right way?

Having accepted a two-month residency in India, starting October this year, I’m about to answer my own questions.

No more cleaning my teeth in the shower, no more gargling in the shower, no more shower!

Instead I’ll be using a 5-gallon bucket and scoop reducing my water consumption from the typical 25 gallons of a shower to an inspiring 5. First fill the bucket, test the temperature then pour strategically from the top of your head so that most of your body is moist. Then lather up.

This is similar to what my mother called a “tubby”, a sink or container of water used for small children. We lived on a farm with rainwater tanks so when water was scarce “tubbies” were all the rage as was only flushing the toilet for numbers two’s.

Ok back to the lather. Grab the scoop and using it economically wash off the lather.

Maybe not as satisfying, definitely different but in a country where nearly 76 million people don’t have access to safe drinking water it seems embarrassing to admit that it matters.

We take so much for granted. I’m not saying we should feel guilty for the quality of life we have but I think we should be conscious of the privilege that grants. Countries like people move through their own path of development but support and knowledge from those that have gone before can make all the difference.