There is something about the shower. I’ve heard people say they want to soak in a bath. Covered in flowers, scented candles lighting the bathroom. Some noise in the background to set the right mood, and a book in hand. I think they’ve just never found the magic of the shower.

The shower is for brevity – it’s not the place you escape the world and get lost in make-believe. It is the place of meeting with your self. It is where you stand droplet to droplet with your vulnerabilities, your mind, your thoughts – unable to run. So you let the pour of the showerhead drown your thoughts. It invites you to cry, to laugh, to sing, to steer your mind from storms into calmness, to bare your emotions.

Yet with every downward flow of the water, you wonder who’s winning. You? the tracks running through your mind? The emotions you bury? Or the world waiting right outside the bathroom door? 

I’ve taken many showers, as I have baths. The shower I find is my most satisfying. Your feet touches the floor. You lean on your own strength. You control the knob, slowly adjusting it. You find the right temperature. The water starts to gush, very cold at first. Then it starts to get warmer. A sweet blend of hot and cold. You find the right pressure. With just the right flow, you start to feel tense muscles go numb, you could find yourself slowing starting to feel sleepy. Your body suddenly longing for a soft comforter where you can close your eyes, lay down and drift away, letting the gentle hands of sleep hold you for a few minutes. As you once again, turn the knob. With the right amount of cold, you’d slowly feel yourself come back to the now – the jarring, shocking hit of sudden cold water after a warm splash. It’s the perfect reality check. Then your body goes into protective mode – you start to shiver and you know it’s time to find hot. 

Your senses are sharp. You start to listen as the droplets find the drain, gulping water just as quickly as it washes down your body. You are ready. You appreciate the purity of the moment when you stand uninterrupted with your thoughts.

Then you realize that you’ve been in the shower for almost an hour. 

© Taiwo Odumala 2024