“Work” seems to have become synonymous with life these days, and it’s hard to deny that both the business and academic world are both moving at a break-neck pace. Everyone can identify with the frustration that there are too few hours in a day, and that “to-do” list that continues to grow faster than kudzu, no matter how many things are actually accomplished. At the tail end of those busy, stressful days when it’s nothing short of a miracle to have survived the pressure without cracking one bit, it’s usually the most that I can do to just dump my exhausted body into bed, lest I end up shattering at the last minute. Of course, with so many thoughts swirling around my burned-out brain, the sleep that follows is never restful, and then the following day is only that much more difficult to face. Seeking some way to unwind a bit to prevent that whirlwind of ideas from stealing away my sleep, I recently decided to turn away from the inviting bedroom, and instead toward… The bathroom.
That’s right, the old childhood joy of a bubble bath can also do wonders for the weary worker. Engulfed in warm, soothing water, it’s almost as if the stresses that would haunt me day and night are popping just like the bubbles before my eyes. Tucked in under that blanket of sweet-smelling foam, it’s like a dress rehearsal for the main act of somnolence, preparation and practice before trying the real thing. Strange as that may sound, I suppose I really had forgotten how best to drift into dreams at night, and this drill is a welcome reminder.
Rinsed clean of the endless stream of critical thoughts, constant worries, and nagging assignments, I emerge from this first bed of water, ready to stumble into the other one of fabric. As I stumble off to find my resting place, sleep has already begun to steal away at my consciousness. Taking one final glance back at the simple fixture that has set my mind at ease so effortlessly, I could swear that it was actually smiling at me.
But perhaps that was just a dream.
[The pattern for “Tubby” will be available on MochiMochi Land very soon, so stay tuned!]