My secret spa

The other day, I wrote, as part of a blog entry, how I’m not really into the whole bubble bath/reading in the tub thing. I suspected the notion was invented by the Calgon people to sell more bath salts.

Of course, a few people shouted me down. And a few agreed with me. But it got me thinking. I do use water to rejuvenate and refresh me. But it’s not in the bathroom. It’s not at the shore.

It’s at my kids’ swim lessons.

My secret--now revealed--is I love taking my kids to their swim lessons. I sit poolside, in a plastic chair while the instructors put them through the paces. It’s a great swim school; the kids have tons of fun while learning how to swim (in the case of my daughter) or refining strokes and building endurance (in the case of my son). It’s noisy, wet, and hot.

And I love it. The second I plop into a plastic chair, all the tension seeps out of me. Sometimes I read; sometimes I simply stop and breathe.

It’s probably a Pavlovian response. I spent years swimming at the Y, then four solid years on the high school synchronized swimming team. I love the sound of splashing water, high-pitched squeals, and the smell of the pool’s chemical cocktail.

One person’s chaos, another’s secret spa. So tell me, do you have an unusual way, or perhaps a chore, that secretly helps you relax?

posted by Charity Tahmaseb @ 9:46 AM