bath

Love and Affection – ND #69

Posted on by Lisa Weikel 4 Comments
A Lesson in Love and Affection – Photo: L. Weikel

Love and Affection

Valentine’s Day means different things to all of us. For most, it’s an opportunity to declare or express one’s love and affection for a significant ‘other’ in your life. For some, that means a romantic dinner by candlelight or a bouquet of roses. And for others it means the gift of a piece of jewelry or a wonderful book.  It’s not the cost of the gift, it’s the care and attention to its selection that matters.

A lot more often than many realize, though, is that for many there may not be an ‘other’ with whom to share one’s Valentine’s Day affections. That should never, ever be a reason to eschew the holiday (even if you generally dismiss it as a fiction created by Hallmark Cards). No. It’s my contention that Valentine’s Day can be a day ideally suited to displaying to yourself just how much you’re treasured.

And while it’s true that some have mastered the art of being an elf to yourself, I have a feeling there are a lot more of us who find it weird or selfish. When in fact, what’s weird is how tough it can be to honestly express love to ourselves; don’t you think?

“Give us a kiss” – Photo: L. Weikel

Unlikeliest of Teachers

For some of us, loving ourselves means taking a long hot bath and soaking in our favorite bath salts and essential oils. Then there are those who crave some alone time and set aside an entire day to turning off their phones, reading a book or two, and writing in their journal. Still others indulge in a manicure, pedicure, or perhaps even a facial.

And so it is the most unlikely of teachers, my Princess, enters the picture.

Imagine my surprise when I encountered my sweet little girl on Valentine’s Day, mid-solo-celebration. How did I know she was indulging in a little sanctioned self-love?

The mask of mud and hay gave it away.

Princess in all her ‘masked’ glory – Photo: L. Weikel

Princess’s Inspiration

What an inspired spirit this sweet porcine princess embodies! I’ve never entertained the thought of giving myself an at-home facial. But what a delightful and indulgent way to ‘celebrate’ Valentine’s Day.

I’m going to have to remember this as a possibility next year. Most important to remember? It’s not necessarily an option reserved for swinging singles like my bad-ass Princess.

(T+69)

My Bath Awaits – Day 356

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The tub that beckons – Photo: L. Weikel

My Bath Awaits        

You tell me.

If you had the bath pictured above beckoning to you in the wee hours of a frosty fall evening, would you find yourself willing to resist?

Would you succumb to indulging your mind with its overflowing ideas that demand fleshing and elucidation?

Or would you find your energy and attention drawn inexorably to the enticement of dipping down into the bone-nourishing warmth of soaking up to your chin in delicately rose-scented liquid that’s just a degree or two away from too hot…in other words, ‘just right?’

Not a Frequent Indulgence

I’ve mentioned the lure that a long soak has on me before – and I’ve mentioned that I’ve not permitted myself to indulge since taking on this 1111 devotion.

But tonight I’m going for it. It just seems right to celebrate the first snow of the other evening and the thin veils of Samhain.

Yesterday, November 1st, was, in the Catholic tradition, the Day of the Dead.

There were precious activities more sacred to my son than a long, luxurious soak in a hot bath. In his honor and his memory, I’m dedicating this soak to him.

(T-755)

An Unintended Consequence – Day 289

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Spartacus and Sheila – Photo: L. Weikel

An Unintended Consequence

This is probably going to be TMI for many of you. But that’s what happens when you’re writing blog posts 289 days in a row. Some days you just get stymied for something to write, and stuff gets personal. It’s an unintended consequence of the 1111 Devotion.

Honestly, though? It’s not just the number of consecutive days I’ve written. Another contributing factor to my ‘having to go TMI’ is that Verizon Wireless sporadically, haphazardly and maddeningly sends photos around the world a couple of times before delivering them, via email, to my laptop. This ‘long way home’ for my photos occasionally means that I will send myself one or two that I’d like to include in a post that evening – and they mysteriously do not arrive until 10:00 or 11:00 a.m. the next day!

It’s ridiculous. And there’s neither rhyme nor reason to it (as far as I can tell). It’s happened before – many times – but this is apparently only the second time I’ve mentioned it in a post. I’m surprised by my restraint! Ha ha.

The transfer lag time means that I can’t take advantage of photos I deliberately took during the day so I might share them with you (and by extension, give me something to write about). So…we all lose when VZ Wireless drops the ball.

The Original Premise of This Post

Back to my initial proposed over-share: An unintended consequence of my engaging in this Act of Power, this daily commitment to writing a post every night, is the fact that I have not taken one long, relaxing bath in the evening, even after a really hard day of physical work or even after a massage.

And I have to tell you: it’s been a sacrifice.

I used to love taking a bath before bed. Sinking into a tub of steaming water that’s had Epsom salts generously heaped into it, plus some aromatic oil to indulge the senses… Oh yum. And those hot baths with Epsom salts do work wonders to remove the kinks and soreness of lawn mowing or weeding.

Baths Cannot Be Short-shrifted or Compromised

The reason I’ve had to give it up is precisely linked to the fact that I just glanced at the time and see that it is 12:54 a.m. I will need to go to sleep as soon as I publish this (and ‘share’ it on my FB pages). I will be too tired to take a bath tonight.

And I refuse to take one earlier in the evening because I become completely relaxed when I take a long, hot bath. There is no way I have any desire to fight all of my bodily instincts in order to drag my consciousness back into the requisite hyper-awareness I need to write my posts. (Believe it or not!)

An odd, unintended consequence of my 1111 Devotion indeed.

Oh – and since I didn’t acknowledge the completely fabricated “Dog Day” (or whatever it was called yesterday) by posting a photo of my pups online, I’ll add this one again ‘from the archives.’ Here’s to Spartacus and Sheila!

(T-822)