Shower or no shower?

 
I’m always slightly shocked when I hear that someone who doesn’t live in a drought-stricken area chooses not to shower daily. It’s such an integral part of my routine–the second thing I do upon waking up and, very often, the last thing I do before going to bed–that I can’t imagine life without it. It’s my equivalent to that first cup of coffee that allows people to return to the land of the living after a blissful night spent in Slumberland.

It has less to do with cleanliness (though that is a big benefit) than the zippy tingle that comes over me when it’s over. After a great shower that feeling can last all the way to my arriving into work, by which time I feel ready to take on the day. It’s a sensation that makes me feel inspired & creative (many of my best ideas come during showers and sometimes I take one just to help me think), so the idea of just getting up and putting on my clothes and starting the day without one doesn’t compute for me.

Of course, it helps that I have short hair that requires nothing more than a quick towel dry and 20 seconds of Surf Waxing (although in my youth I did have hair that went down to my butt–I just didn’t care how it looked after it dried). And, I’m a single bachelor who can spend the half-hour he has allotted to get ready for the day solely to his own immediate interests.

How important is this ritual in your life? Is it a tedious necessity? Do you find yourself avoiding it whenever you can? Or is it a crucial part of your day that you couldn’t do without?