The Ritual Bath

I take a bath every night.  It is something I have always done through the years.  In some cultures and religions the ritual of the bath is a spiritual and cultural necessity.  A cleansing of one in a step by step process with the outcome purity.

I am consistent in my ritual and have taken baths since I was a child in much the same manner. I turn on the water as hot as I can handle, allowing the bathroom to steam up.  I accompany my ritual with a book (always), a glass of wine (most of the time) and a candle (when I am feeling a sense of nostalgia).  I step in and for 20 minutes or so soak off the transgressions, troubles and even the triumphs of the day.  The reading of a book that has no literary value is key as well. It is a form of meditation, an emptying of my mind and completes the process.  The bath may change (large roman soakers at my former suburban homes, the small cramped tub during mine and Robbie's 'only' years with GI Joes and Silly Soap), but the ritual stays the same.

As I step out from the tub, dry myself off and start the nighttime routine, I have an inevitable sense of peace.