April 20, 2014

I’m on vacation in Maui. So far, uneventful and boring.

So I was taking a shower this morning and I started thinking about what I was doing. I don’t use a face cloth, I just soap up my hands and wash. First I wash my front side. Then I reload and wash my left leg. Reload, wonder to myself if I just washed my left or my right leg and quickly rewash my left leg just to be sure and then the right. Reload, wash most of my back starting at the bottom but usually run out of soap. Reload, finish the top of my back aka arm stretches and then wash my arms. Then I wash my face and neck and then shampoo my hair. Tada. Sparkly.

I started thinking like an adult and I couldn’t think of a good reason for why I do it that way. When I wash my hair all of the dirty hair dirt streams down over my newly washed person. Every day that happens. Why do I do that? Well, I had no idea. But then I suddenly remembered the very first shower I ever took. It was on a family road trip when I was somewhere between 5 and 10 years old (not good with dates). We had to use some public showers on the way and there were no tubs in that public shower place. I had no idea what to do. My dad said, “You ready to take a shower by yourself?” I try and never say no when somebody asks me if I’m ready for anything. I’m ready. I do it. I remember feeling a little excited and like I was finally a grown up. I did it and you already know exactly how it happened. I just went from easiest to hardest because I was not yet an engineer at the time.

Why don’t I start from the top and work my way down? Well, I think I will do that from now on. This is the most ingrained habit I have, period, outside of breathing and eating. This will probably be the hardest thing I do before Christmas. Wish me luck. Also, is it abnormal to not use a facecloth?

Update: November 6, 2016

Fail. New system lasted exactly as long as the vacation. I haven’t even made the feeblest attempt to change since.