Whenever I have stayed at hotels while traveling, the showers seemed small and cramped. Especially compared to my shower at home. My luxurious shower has separate showerheads for my husband, Jack, and I. And he has a rainmaker showerhead. And there is a seat. And a handheld shower attachment (for when we get old and have to sit down in the shower.) Jack and I can both shower without bumping into each other – or scheduling our shower times.
Given all of that, when I stay at a hotel, the shower often feels cramped – especially when the shower curtain sucks into the tub. But not today! Today, in the hotel shower, I was grateful because I had a different perspective.
You see, several months ago a leak was discovered in my shower and the whole, lovely shower had to be torn out! For two months, my entire bathroom became a
construction zone. There was demolition grit and grim all over my floor and counters. Even though I mopped and wiped, the grit and dust came back. A huge, noisy dehumidifier roared non-stop for a week. And before that, the exhaust fan ran for a week. And then the entire bathroom was covered with construction dust.
Fortunately, I have another shower right outside my bedroom door. But it is a small shower – about a third the size of a regular shower. This shower was designed as the “pool” shower. It was supposed to be a place for a quick rinse after being in the pool. (The pool we don’t have – “Yet,” she said hopefully.)
My 6’2”, broad-shouldered husband likens trying to shower in the “pool” shower as trying to shower in a phone booth. He has to turn off the water to soap up his body because there is no way for him to move out from under the water spray. And me? Well, there is no way to shave my legs in this phone booth sized shower. (If you are reading this and have no idea what a phone booth is, you can Google an image of one.)
But today when I got in the hotel shower, I was grateful. I got perspective in the shower. After two long months of showering in my cramped shower at home, the hotel shower seemed quite luxurious.
I was reveling in my spacious hotel shower when I recalled another hotel shower – my shower in Italy while chaperoning a high school choir trip. Well, it was sort of a shower. It was billed as a shower on the website but was really just a tub with a hand-held showerhead – and no shower curtain! The tub was so narrow that I sort of had to wedge my hiney into it when I sat down. Then again – I only sat in the tub for about 30 seconds until I thought of the mold I saw in other spots in the bathroom! I decided maybe it would be more hygienic if I knelt in the tub. This stance required a towel to be folded up to help save my knees from serious pain.
I knelt to shampoo my hair and then lowered myself when I needed to rinse so that water would not spray everywhere. My showers were quick, that is for sure. There wasn’t any leisurely lingering in this “shower.” It was all business.
At the hotel in the next town, one of the first things my roommates and I did was check to see what the shower was like. We were thrilled – there was a shower curtain!
When my oldest daughter traveled to South Africa several years ago, her shower for a month was a bucket and a cup. But as the team visited to the nearby slum, they were grateful for their bucket and cup. Grateful for running water.
Perspective. If we can keep perspective of our real situation, we will be much happier. Grateful.
It’s easy to get discouraged and negative about life. Life is hard. Maybe our job isn’t the best. But when we think of those that do not have a job, we gain perspective.
Maybe we have been up all night with a sick child. That can be exhausting. But when we think of those that cannot have children or have lost children, we gain perspective.
I’ve heard people complain about something that happened on their vacation. What about the people who don’t get to take a vacation?
Several years ago, I fractured my heel and was in a boot cast and on crutches for three months. I thought that was rough until I thought of my brother that is a quadriplegic and in a wheelchair. Perspective. But even my brother, though not able to walk, is grateful to be alive.
Perspective.
What is it in your life that could use a fresh perspective?
In the Bible, Paul challenges us with ~
Whatever things are true, whatever things are noble,
whatever things are just, whatever things are pure,
whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report,
if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy
– meditate on these things. (Philippians 4:8)
I’m off to go take a shower – grateful for water. Perspective!