Bathing Rituals and Reflections: A Farewell to My Tub

Speaking of which, have you got a tub and can I get in it?

Song of choice for this ramble is below. Please note, this isn't about discovering fresh, inspiring music, no no no —it's more about what I imagine my thoughts would sound like if it were a song mmmk)

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I feel as though I need to have a bath every day to make the most of the little tub in my apartment. I’m moving to a house without a bath in 2 weeks, and the sickly privileged part of me is mildly concerned. I’m a bath girl. I love baths. I let go in the bath. I don’t let go in bed or on a couch; that feels too lazy, like I should be doing something. But a bath has a purpose, parameters. You’re sitting in a slippery box, for one. You are eventually going to soap up, for two.

(Disclaimer.. not my tub.. just setting the scene)

I have this technique I’ve only just realised I do (kind of like how you dry your body the same way every time, which is best not to overthink because then you might forget how to do it). I fill the tub up just until it pools around my belly button. No more. Why? Because soon after, I’m going to fill it with scorching hot water again, but not too much. Just enough to "flash the pan," if you like cooking analogies. So the first fill-up is probably 20 minutes in, when the water is lukewarm. Then I ‘flash it.’ Now you’re catching on. Wait approx 10-15 minutes. Then I flash it 2-3-4-5 more times, depending on my commitments that day. The result of this technique, which could be a new bath genre called ‘the slow fill’ #slowfill, might be thousands of years old, or it could be something fresh and hot and new. I just love to prolong the tub experience for as long as possible.

It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what I do in a tub for up to 2 hours. Time just passes. I know one thing: I start by opening up my newsletters to read, which becomes the catalyst for where my attention wanders. For example, I may discover an extensive essay written for the New York Times, then start googling the author. Then I find they have an Instagram, followed by learning they have a Substack and write about music. I then open a playlist, listen to the first song, go onto the artist's profile, scroll down, and see where they are touring. Reflect on how rarely I see musicians I look up on Spotify that tour to Australia. Then I think about how far away Australia is while staring at a damaged tile near the tap. After that, I may ponder how bad it is that Australians travel overseas with all the air miles involved, and that I just went to Europe, and that people go to Europe every year which is wild. If you lived in Europe, you wouldn’t have a guilty conscience visiting European countries because of the proximity. Then I think about the guilty conscience I have about owning a business that makes candles and my environmental footprint. But then I think about how I love craft and food culture, and that my business celebrates the rich history of craft and the beauty of hand made objects and I I feel ok again. At this point surely its obvious I have adhd. I hopped in the tub to get through my newsletters.

So, when I move and I’m bathless, I wonder where I can have this guilt-free, aimless me-time. Now that I think of it, I could find some cardboard and build a rectangular-shaped crib on the floor in my lounge room. Maybe it’s the crib I seek all along.

So yeah, that’s where I go when I hop into a bathtub.

Please comment below, are you a YAY BATH

or a NAY BATH???

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Thought/read/want/ did/ fun fact

Read:

This article on adult autism diagnosis was super interesting! So many disgnosis happening later in our adult lives and I am so here for it. The better we understand how our brain works the easier it is to work with your strengths and communicate them to others!

https://www.thecut.com/article/mary-hk-choi-adult-autism-diagnosis.html

Did:

I danced last night and haven’t in a long time. It felt good, so I’m putting it in my calendar as a gentle nudge that I have to dance again within the next 3 months.

Want:

I want these shoes but I’m not buying anything new at the moment. Short fuse, might change my mind.

Thought:

Lost someone special recently, and it has me reflecting on the meaningful relationships in my life, and how challenging it is to stay connected with loved ones while dealing with a chronic illness and having ADHD. Something to mull over in the tub I guess.

Fun fact:

Love getting into baths, but more than anything else in the world.. I hate getting out of baths. Cold, drippy, wetness.

Yours sincerely, Madeleine

(who is now sitting in a really REALLY cold tub).

X

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