The Joy Of Water

The day had been swelteringly hot and the humidity made every piece of clothing and hair stick to my skin. 

The ceiling fan faithfully turned around over and over in circles offering me some respite with its gentle breeze while I sat at my desk working on my laptop. There was only one thing on my mind. Only one thought that clouded all other thoughts.

The beach. I needed to get into the water.

It took a lot of effort to be able to get what I needed to do done, but the motivation was there as the reward beckoned.

It seems so unlikely, who would have thought a culmination of sand, salt water, waves, and breezes could be so tantalizing? None of them on their own would make heads turn but put them all together and they become heavenly.

Getting submerged in water on a hot summer day is the best simple pleasure there is. It does not matter if it is being hosed down in the back yard, jumping into a lake or a pool, floating in the ocean, or even trying to fit into a kiddie pool. Let's face it, even a cold shower on a terribly hot and humid day brings immense pleasure.

Water is the best relief when the heat becomes unbearable.

It is the best thing to soothe frazzled nerves.

The pleasure of being submerged in water brings back to me the innocence of childhood, of carefree days, those days when my mother would call and call for us to get out of the pool or the ocean and none of us would obey even if it was to briefly reapply our sunscreen lotion. We would get out only to have something to eat quickly before jumping right back into the waves or the pool as soon as we could. That was what summer vacations were all about. 

Now, as an adult, life is a lot more complicated and summer vacations are not always that straightforward. 

But, if I am able to, I'll always choose the ocean, lake, or pool to relax and play in on hot summer days. I am still very much a kid at heart.

It is one of the simple pleasures that I cherish a great deal.

I'm glad to say that on that hot and sticky day, my husband and I managed to finish what we needed to get done that day to get out to the beach and into the water. It was a fitting reward after a day of working hard on various projects.

In my book, there is nothing better and perhaps, you think the same as well.

I have on other occasions hosed myself down with the garden hose in the heat of summer and another time, desperately attempted to fit into a low round plastic tub (for the torso) and a large bucket (for the legs) placed strategically in the backyard when getting to a pool or a beach was not a possibility. I do not recommend the latter method. It did work as I managed to sit in water but I was a hilarious sight and it is not a great dignity booster. Both our dogs can attest to that if they could speak.

That just tells you how much I love being in the water.

However, if you can't get to a body of water this summer, one very good option is the bathtub. 

Oh, and it doesn't matter if water splashes all over the bathroom floor as you revel in the joy of being childlike, the floor will take care of itself later.

Just give yourself permission to enjoy the moment of being able to frolic and play in the water as an adult. 

Even if it's only in the bathtub.

Life is too short to worry about wet bathroom floors.

But, in case you do worry about wet bathroom floors, just make sure you remove the bathmat off the floor before you jump into the tub while keeping a mop nearby, and also, do be careful you don't slip on the wet floor when you get out of the tub.

That's pragmatic me talking. 

And you are allowed to just ignore that.

Let the water games begin!