Happy International Bath Day!

Happy International Bath Day!  It may seem strange that something so routine is honored with its own day so let's just start by saying that International Bath Day isn’t the only day of the year you should take a bath. It is not in the spirit of this holiday to make everyone else try to keep upwind of you. You can either use some Dove and a loofah on your own or they will help you with Clorox and a Brillo pad.   Special days like this are what you make of them. It's not about baths or showers themselves; it's about doing something that makes you feel happiest to be alive, something that is just for you and nobody else. And you don't even need to take the whole day to celebrate it; all you need is an hour to make this sudsy escape from the world.   But how did this day come about? Well because one day very long ago a nerd took a bath who was none other than the legendary mathematician, scientist, and scholar, Archimedes. While settling his bum in the basin he noticed that an object’s volume could be accurately measured by being submerged in water! Upon this discovery he leaped out of the bathtub and yelled, “Eureka, Eureka!” as he ran through the streets of Syracuse. All of his neighbors were yelling back "put some damn clothes on!" The legend says this day was exactly one week before the beginning of summer, which is June 21st, so we get June 14th. Awesome, right?  So what does a Greek on a streak mean for you today?   With our constantly connected world it can be hard to find ways to escape the noise and find solitude with our own thoughts. While you may never have any profound moments in the bathtub or shower like Archimedes you can still use it as an opportunity to disconnect with everyone else and reconnect with yourself. Phones aren't water-friendly and unless you're in a locker room its not hard to get the bathroom to yourself for a bit.   More often than not, showers are treated as just a utilitarian act that takes time away from more important things and make us run late for work. We rush through them mainly trying to keep the soap out of our eyes. Or we completely zone out into the depths of our anxieties in anticipation of "just needing to get through another day" and 45 minutes disappears and the water bill skyrockets.   Rather than waste it on morning ennui, take this time for you. There are so many ways you can enjoy it and make it a beneficial part of your day apart from just smelling good afterwards. If it's in the morning you can build in a few minutes for meditation and mindfulness to help prepare you for the day to come. You'll step out into the world feeling like a million bucks. If it's in the evening reflect on the day you've had, plan how you can take action on things you learned, or resolve things you might have done better. Wash off the day's grit so you can begin anew tomorrow. Many of you will just use this time as your personal American Idol performance. But that's fine too! Sometimes you just have to let it all out, even if it's in the wrong key or off the beat. With the water flowing you won't even be able to tell that you're making the shower tiles cry. If that helps you get pumped for the day or unwind at the end, do it! If you can't be yourself in the shower, then where can you be?