Bathtub

When I am cold, tired, achey, or just stressed - the bathtub is my retreat. I make the water too hot - so it will last a while - find a book, and relax until the water is cold or my toes start to shrivel (whichever comes first.)

Sometimes, I'll watch TV (yes, there is a TV in my bathroom) or scrunch down until only my face is outside the water and listen to my heart beat. Sometimes I put the washcloth over my eyes and forehead and just contemplate . . . nothing.

I take showers in the morning - they wake me up and get me clean. But I take baths whenever. There is something about being totally immersed in warm liquid that renews you. It's like setting some invisible reset button. By the time I leave the water behind, I'm leaving my worries and aches behind also.