Monday, April 25, 2011

My new "shower"

My electric shower isn't working (no hot water), so I have been improvising showers in the bathtub (which doesn't have a shower). Perfect timing, because just two weeks ago I was given this beautiful enamel jug:


It has become my shower, and I love my new ritual. There is something infinitely satisfying about rinsing your hair with water from an enamel jug. I also think it saves water, as you are more consious of how often you fill the jug.

And it is very zen-like. I am trying to be more mindful with everything I do, down to simple tasks and routines. Instead of thinking about all kinds of things while I rinse my hair/do the dishes/ iron my clothes/... I focus on what I am doing.

Then there is the nostalgia of using enamel anything. I like to pretend I am not actually in the year 2011, but some time in the past (ok, I do use hot running water with my new system). I decant most of my dry-food purchases into kilner jars as soon as I come in the door from the grocery shop (can't stand plastic packaging - I wish the shops here introduced bulk-buying, where you bring your own container); I prefer using muslin cloths to face cloths (they are great for cleansing your face); and I try to wear mostly natural fibres. I don't have a kitchen machine, so I do everything by hand, including whisking egg whites, and until recently I cracked peppercorns with a pestle and mortar (now I have a grinder). I love the simplicity of it all, and I think time-saving devices are overrated. The few more minutes you spend by doing things the old-fashioned way won't mean your precious time is being wasted. Ultimately it makes you more absorbed in what you are doing, and that is grounding.

3 comments:

  1. Será por el apuro con que vivimos que cuando no electricidad nos duchamos con agua fría , ni modo, hay que salir rápido a trabajar. de todas formas me alegras que disfrutes tu baño; ahora que lo pienso me gustaría volver a antaño, me imagino siendo tu esclavo rociándo tu cuerpo de agua en el baño (y también jabonándote; ¡¡soy un experto jabonador!!)Un abrazo

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  2. Jaja, me gustaría tener un esclavo! Un abrazo

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  3. I think that’s a fantastic idea Marina! An enamel jug is a perfect accessory if you want to bring some good old-fashioned rituals in the shower. It can be used to rinse the hair or accommodate other handheld shower things. I know it’s rare to find an enamel jug these days so you’re lucky you were given one for free.

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