I am thinking of those times when you’re staying in a big home with lots of folks, perhaps around a vacation or a wedding or a holiday. Perhaps many people have taken showers in a single day or done laundry or just generally used water. Perhaps then, when you step into the tub, the hot water is anemic at best.
This is, of course, different from the “no hot water showers.” The “no hot water shower” is strategic. Get in. Get out. Ideally, have a cup of hot tea and a fuzzy sweatshirt waiting on the other side.
The other day, I was taking a “oh boy we’ve used a lot of hot water today” shower and in my mind playing out conversation of explaining the length of my shower post. I imagined explaining the cold water and I imagined my made-up conversationalist asking why I took such a long shower if it was so uncomfortable and chilled.
I thought about how I’d reply that I was fiddling with it. That I kept thinking I could fix it. That some combination of twisting and turning the knob would bring relief to the goosebumps forming on my forearms.
So I stayed in the shower longer than I should.
Perhaps if we know a thing won’t be what we want it to be, the best thing to do is get out.
