My first thought on hearing that was, 'Well, I'll be dead then.'
My second thought was, 'I don't want to be dead!'
In thirty years I shall be ninety-six - not seven as I was about to write. Uncle and Great-Aunt, who both died two years ago, lived into their nineties and were both ready to go. Perhaps I will be too when I reach that age. I suppose it depends on lots of things but at the moment not only do I not feel old I don't believe I am. In spite of what I see when mirrors catch me unawares.
Anyway even if I'm not alive my grandchildren will be so I need to be thinking about their future. The radio programme had various experts on it suggesting things like not showering every day or, something that is probably easier to persuade people to do, cutting down the time you're in the shower. 'Make it into a race with yourself,' they suggested. Beat your own record.
Do you remember when you bathed once a week? Whether you needed it or not, as my father-in-law was wont to say. Even when we had a bathroom put in when I was in my teens I don't remember bathing as frequently as I do now. As one of the experts said, we don't need to shower every day; we don't get dirty. Most of us aren't doing manual labour. For us having a morning shower is often just habit, a way to wake us up in the morning.
In spite of the fact that parts of Britain, such as Wales, have a reputation for being wet we're still using more water than is sustainable. For instance in Wales, because of the geology, the water doesn't hang around. (Don't ask me to be more specific than that.)
My only real New Year's resolution is to drink more water but I think that's okay ...
P.S. Welsh water is the best.
4 comments:
I confess that I never have showered or bathed every day ~ although on the non-bath/shower days I do have a wash, you'll be pleased to know LOL
Oh yes, I remember from my childhood the once-a-week bath in the galvanized tub in the middle of the kitchen floor. We didn't have running water so my mother had to heat the water on top of the stove. It was quite the ritual for the whole family to bathe. I should write a blog post about it some day. All I can say is . . . thank gawd those days are gone.
That is a relief to many I'm sure, Sharon!
We had a bath in the scullery, Debra, but it was only plumbed out so had to be filled by hand. I've just re-read what you wrote: no running water?! Lawks! That must have been so hard. Do write about it.
I can remember being given a bath in one of those big porcelain butler sinks and exactly how cold it felt to sit in. My mother would light the oven of the big grey gas cooker and leave it open if it was snowing.
Butler sinks seem to be all the rage now … though not maybe to bathe your three year old in.
Post a Comment