Is There Anything Better than a Bath?

Oh how I love bath-time. I don't usually take a bath to get clean, although that is a side benefit, I take a shower to get clean. I take a bath for 1 of 3 reasons; to get warm, to relax, or to feel better because I am sick and achey. There is nothing that warms me up faster than a bath (a blanket, a fire, they are just not fast enough), nothing that helps me de-stress and relax quicker, and nothing that helps the aches and pains of an illness subside better than a bath. It's almost impossible to slide into the hot-as-your-body-can-take-it water without letting out a sigh and simultaneously praising a being from on high.

Bath-time is such a thinking-and reflecting-time, I guess because there is nothing else to do, at least I could never figure out how to read a book or magazine in there without getting it wet, and there are 2 men that usually come into my thoughts sometime during the bath. You're probably thinking it would be Ryan Gosling, Brad Pitt or Tim Riggins from Friday Night Lights (holy heck he is one hot tamale), but no, I think about Mike Tyson and a European King from somewhere around the 14th century. I think of Mike Tyson because I saw him interviewed once where he spoke about his time in prison after being convicted of date raping a girl. He said that the thing he missed most about being in prison was being able to take a bath. So every time I luxuriate in my tub I realize that I am doing something that every convict is unable to do. Mike, who had everything before prison life, missed a bath most. Made me realize what a luxury a long hot bath is. The reason I think about a King from the olden days is because of the many tours I took of castles while living in Europe. One tour guide told us that the King had a bath, which of course had no plumbing, and the servants would heat water to fill it originally, then periodically pour more water into the bath when the King let them know it was getting cold. So, in essence, I live a better life than a King used to live. I can turn the tap and have hot water the second I want it hotter. The King had to be disturbed by servants coming in and out and adding hot water. I marvel that I have a better bathing experience than the highest ranking, most powerful, person had in the 14th century.

So, to answer the question; Is there anything better than a bath? Mike and I would say, if you are cold, stressed, or sick, (or in prison); no, not really.

P.S. When Jeff and I moved into our home in Canada, the master bedroom had the most glorious bathroom I have ever had. The jacuzzi tub was huge. The owner had lived there for 13 years before us. He told us he had never taken a bath in all those years, until he knew he had to move out. He took his first bath in 13 years the week before he moved out and we moved in. That's a man who needs to take some time to smell the roses and chill-lax once in awhile; at least more than once every thirteen years.