I have always enjoyed a hot bath. I fill up the tub with hot-as-I-can-stand-it water, pour in a good quantity of bubbles and sink into the luxurious warmth. I also love to read and usually do some reading while soaking in the tub.
I have a vivid memory of a crisp fall evening several years ago when my now grown children were about 7 and 9 years old. At the time I was a single mom and it had been an unusually busy day; I was tired and a bit grumpy. The kids were happily playing in the back yard and I asked if anybody needed anything before going inside for a relaxing bath. Everyone was settled and agreed they could manage without me for at least a half hour–Perfect!
I ran the bath, and gently eased into the comforting warmth with a sigh of contentment. I could feel my body relax and the cares of the day wash away. About that time I also heard the pitter-patter of little feet; yes, it was unmistakable. The sound got closer and closer. The feet stopped at the bathroom door and there was a knock on the door. My response was something like: “Someone had better be bleeding or you’re in big trouble!” There was a pause, and then the pitter-patter of little feet walking AWAY from the bathroom door.
Fast forward to today; my most frequent interruption during my bath is my husband poking in his head to announce the latest Brewer’s baseball score. *sigh* He means well.
Last night I was happily basking in the tub and reading a book on my Kindle. The Brewers had a night off, so the chances of interruption were slight. At one point, I needed to put the Kindle down to wash my hair–my habit is to set it on the toilet seat that is located right next to the tub. FYI-I think this is a horrible design of most bathrooms, as most people (myself included) would prefer to look at something (anything) other than a toilet while basking in the tub. Be that as it may, the toilet is the only available location upon which to set my Kindle within arm’s reach. This works best if the toilet seat cover is in the down position. Unfortunately, that was not the case last night and I essentially threw my Kindle into the toilet.
A couple things happened in quick succession. I lept out of the tub, retrieved the device and wrapped it in a towel. Then I got back into the tub and laughed like a loon. Once again, I cracked myself up with my own foibles. I had actually done this once before with a paperback. Yes, I once threw “The Four Agreements” by Miquel Ruiz (a WONDERFUL book) into the toilet. I suspected it was only a matter of time before my Kindle met a similar fate.
As a helpful tip: Neither an electronic reader OR a paperback book will survive a swim. Trust Me.