Bath Time
Bath time, for a kid, is magical.
With the plug of a stopper and the turn of a few faucets, a
watery world came to be.
I often wanted to start bath time at this very moment. To be able to sit in a mostly dry tub and
watch the waters rise… first over my toes and heals… then up to my butt… and
then rising. Rising as the Bay of
Fundy. Reaching knee level (when knee
level was that of a six year old sitting “Indian Style”). Up to hips… and belly button.
It was at the Belly Button when the desire to explore the
Water World became too much. Legs are
uncrossed and I’d sprawl out on my belly… hands stretching out to the depths
near the drain… feet kicking lightly in the shallows at the other end.
Often times, goggles would make their way to bath time. A deep breath and I’d be diving down among
the coral beds… all pink… and camouflaged as porcelain. The adults in my family seemed unaware of the
beauty of the bathtub depths.
With the tub full and water off, exploring would take on a
more silent mode. My every twist and
turn would bring splishes and splashes.
You wouldn’t want to scare the fishes… so actions would be slow and
deliberate.
I’d bring my head down to the deepest site. And turn to look up into the faucet. Looking up into the blackness. Imagining that mysterious river now
temporarily dammed off. Sure that it
must go on for miles… perhaps to the sea itself. And I’d be flabbergasted at the thought that
it’s only this metal faucet separating me from Humpbacks, Killer Whales, Octopi,
and Great White Sharks. A slow drip
would form as I imagined… and the drop would splash my eye… the obvious play of
a nearby seal or dolphin.
When exploration ended, my sea became a distant watery
land. Great cliffs… as pink as the coral
below the waves… rose up. The land
rimming the sea as the Greek island, Santorini.
And my action figures were the residence of this land. Fisher Price figures… a bush pilot and
construction worker… shared the land with Star Wars figures… Luke, Han, Leia,
Darth and the Storm Troopers… and even Perseus, from Clash of the Titans. Up in the depths, they’d take turns walking
out onto the faucet diving board and leap off into the sea.
And yes, creatures lived down there. Sharks, whales, a rubber hippo… they all
bobbed about the surface, or lingered beneath the depths. My legs, back sitting “Indian Style” would
act as islands. Where divers could climb
out from the depths before the creatures would swallow them whole.
On other occasions, the sea held races. Bath Tubbies all wound up and sent
swimming. A seal with churning
flippers. A turtle doing the backstroke.
And fish with wagging tails. All trying
to be the fastest from the depths to the shallows. All trying to do the run in the straightest
possible line. But almost always veering
off to the side until they clunk against the pink cliff face and push their way
along.
And sometimes boats ruled the waves. A tug. A schooner. And a ferry boat just
calling for dinkies to be brought to the tub.
What good is a ferry without transporting cars from the land of the
faucet to the far end?
Funny, in all my bath tub worlds, the only rubber duckies in
my life were the one Ernie sang to on
Sesame Street and the one at my Grand Parent’s house in Botwood. The duck there was like an out of town
friend. Ready to meet up and play again
those three or four times a year that we’d be out visiting. Where the porcelain was no longer pink, but
white and the water took on a yellowish hue.
As I grew, bath time began to lose some of its luster. The great seas became little more than
shallow pools. My explorations were
hampered as I barely fit into the tube of water. And my girth made it so that either I could
have my legs and butt in the water… or my upper body in… but not both at the
same time.
The watery coffin became an annoyance. And showers began to take over my washing
needs.
Today, things have once again changed. My cigar tube tub has given way to an egg
shaped oval. And what were watery depths
in the tubs of my youth pale in comparison to the abyss of today’s tub.
Bath time has returned to a once a week adventure. And I sit there, once again, Indian Style, as
the waters rise about me.
And I’m left considering the absurd. Wondering if I’m losing my mind. As I contemplate a trip to the store… is 39
too old to buy your first Rubber Ducky?
SATURDAY…
--- Quiet day at work and I’m tired all day. We’re all tired in fact… day shift stinks.
SUNDAY…
--- Work is much like yesterday. Just no energy and pretty quiet.
--- Super Bowl after work.
I aim for KFC for a football treat… but drive by a packed restaurant and
keep on driving. A & W will do. Mozza Burger, Rings, Root Beer… that’ll do
nicely.
--- Game is iffy.
Ends more exciting than the first three quarters offer. And Madonna’s half time show is likely the
worst half time I’ve ever seen. Her
performance is best suited to fifteen year old girls… not really the prime
football demographic.
MONDAY…
--- Some TV and napping through the day. 5 degrees today, so plenty of melting
outside.
TUESDAY…
--- Night shift. I’m
a little slow getting in due to Rogers being late getting to my place to hook
up the home phone. No more Bell for
me.
--- Work is fine though… reasonable amount to do.
WEDNESDAY…
--- Physio in the afternoon.
A half hour woods walk prior to that.
Not a cloud in the sky and around -5 make for nice winter walking.
--- Some groceries and TV round things out. I drive by the old place after the
groceries. New curtains up… looks like
the old blind I had in the living room window is gone. The old deck chairs remains on the
balcony. And it was good seeing the pond
again. I’ll be back there for more walks
for sure.
--- The moon, these past nights, has been really
bright. Moon shadows out back and beams
of it shining in the windows. Living
here, there are good views of the moon and stars… it’s a darker location than
my previous one.
--- A letter today though from a neighbour who’s place was
broken in to last week. The basement
window makes for an easy way in. A
little unsettling. Makes me want to put
up more ADT stickers in the windows so that they see there’s no reason to get
in my place.
THURSDAY…
--- Great day with blue sky and temps near zero. An hour walking in the woods with a phone
call to dad from the trail.
--- A few movies in the evening.
FRIDAY…
--- Another nice day for a woods walk. Not as long this time. Probably out there about 25 minutes.
--- Some house cleaning when I get back. Some sweeping, vacuuming, and wet
swiffering. It’s actually a fun time in
the new house.
--- A leisurely soak in the tub and some writing round out
the afternoon.
