Slipping into Peace

I took a bath last night.

For many, this would not be front page news. For me, it is.

I love warm, scented baths. Love them. But I've taken exactly two since I bought my perfect little house here on the banks of the pond two years ago. Two years. Two baths.

If you've been reading along, you know this has been a stressful time for me. My back and neck and shoulders are so knotted it feels as if flames are flickering across my shoulder blades, as if tiny jolts of electricity are leaping from one synapse to another. across my neck.

So, yesterday I asked one of the massage therapists to work on my neck and back for half an hour. It was the second time I'd availed myself of this talented man's services in the two years I've owned the place (a salon and day spa).

Can you smell the pattern?

Anyway, when I finally got home last night, the toxins released from the knots in my neck and back were surging through my muscles, making them feel as though I'd been beaten by the shillelaghs of a gang of angry leprechauns. When I could stand it no longer, I drew a bath, lit a candle, turned on my iPod, and slipped into the water's embrace. I emerged half an hour later feeling reborn.

The bath salts I used had been on my bathroom counter for about 8 months. The candle, too. Warm water is always available and (since this is the guest bath) clean towels perpetually stand ready. So why don't I use them?

It's a serious question, one I haven't yet puzzled out. I have, however, realized that slipping into a bath is something like slipping into the deep well of peace that lies within each of us. It, too, is always there, always ready. True peace, true joy do not depend on the circumstances of our lives. They depend only on our ability to submerge ourselves in their depths. We need only to take the time, clear our minds, and slip into their waiting arms.

No more writing right now. I'm off to meditate. Maybe I'll take a bath when I'm done.



After yesterday's Sunday Scribblings on skin, I've been working on the tale of a scar that bisects my forehead. It's a tough one to write but that's the reason for writing it, isn't it? Will try to finish later today.