Photo by Caleb Wright on Unsplash
Today I took a shower. Generally that's not terribly significant, but during this sabbatical I haven't taken showers as often. Which got me thinking...showers are almost always good for thinking...
1) Whenever I wait to long to get a shower, I really need it. I can tell, even though I tend to put it off. (I'm fine. It's fine.) I could tell I really needed this sabbatical too.
2) Showers are for dealing with our physical dirt. This sabbatical has helped me deal with spiritual and emotional dirt. (Yeah, I wasn't as fine as I was telling myself.)
3) Showering is a bit wonky at our house because the main floor bathroom only has a tub. The shower in the basement is fab, but it's not that convenient to trudge down to the basement for a shower. We're finally addressing this problem, admitting to ourselves that it's really not as ok as we pretend, and hopefully by the time this sabbatical is over, we'll have a real shower on the main floor.
4) I am thankful to have any shower. Not everyone does. Some food banks have added public showers because of this. And laundry facilities. Some churches have washers and dryers too, so people can do their laundry while they're at church.
My small town doesn't have a laundromat (aka washateria) or public transportation. I wonder how people manage?
There's an old adage that says cleanliness is next to godliness. It's kind of a weird saying, really. Sounds kinda judgy. But lovingly offering the gift of free showers and laundry is kindness, and kindness is definitely Godly.
Things to think about.
Thanks, God.
