My sister and brother-in-law are visiting from the US, and even after just a short bit we are having a wonderful time. Two days ago we walked on the Roman walls and explored the Museum Gardens in the city centre. The weather even stayed nice long enough for us to have a picnic on the lawn. And these moments have made me appreciate so much: good company and conversations, tourism, nature in the midst of the city, history, and yummy food.
But a simple appreciation became clear to me that I wasn’t really expecting: standing in the shower. You see, about a month and a half ago some of our tiles in the bathroom fell from the ceiling by our window (and the problem may have been exacerbated by steam from semi-long hot showers). Then our shower door fell off. So, on a bit of an impulse we decided to try showering European style—sitting in the tub with the handheld shower nozzle. It took some getting used to but we ended up rolling with it. We used less water, which made less steam. It worked.
But when Diana and Paul came we decided to put the shower curtain back up. Let's face it: it made life with one bathroom a bit easier (especially with potential "potty emergencies" with Tyler new to the potty system).
So when I took my first standing shower in a month and a half I felt like I was at a luxury spa room. It felt divine. In all honesty, it has been a long time since I have appreciated a shower that much (I do remember feeling quite appreciative after my college La Vida wilderness experience, our visit to India and another one to Russia, but this time also makes the top list).
I recognized the importance of living without the shower curtain for a period of time in order to see what a wonderful pleasure it really is in my morning routine. I also love that the sitting showers made me much more conscientious of my water habits and I am now using less water even when I stand.
Simple appreciations, reminding me of how much I truly have to be grateful for.
