{"id":30,"date":"2014-02-13T18:38:26","date_gmt":"2014-02-13T18:38:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/07e27253-9fb5-4d77-b896-0b15a0d5f1c0"},"modified":"2014-02-13T18:38:26","modified_gmt":"2014-02-13T18:38:26","slug":"on-the-love-of-showers-soap-rubber-duckies-and-thirst-relief-international","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/thewonderchildblog.com\/?p=30","title":{"rendered":"On the Love of Showers, Soap, Rubber Duckies, and Thirst Relief International"},"content":{"rendered":"

On the Love of Showers, Soap, Rubber Duckies,<\/o:p><\/font><\/p>\n

And Thirst Relief International<\/o:p><\/font><\/p>\n

By<\/o:p><\/font><\/p>\n

Joseph Anthony<\/o:p><\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/o:p><\/p>\n

So I was
\nreading some P.G. Wodehouse<\/font><\/a> (“Right Ho, Jeeves”) by candlelight a
\ncouple days ago during one of the recent power outages here in Philly, and
\nthere is a scene where Bertie Wooster (one of the goofball main characters) is
\nreally down in the dumps.  He decides to
\ntake a bath (\u201csplash in the porcelain\u201d) in order to lift his spirits, and it
\nworks!  While doing so he even discovers
\nthere is a rubber ducky in the tub, and his delight really takes off.  Here is how that scene reads: <\/o:p><\/font><\/p>\n

“After
\nsplashing about in the porcelain for a bit, composure began to return…I have
\nalways found that in moments of heart-bowed-downness there is nothing that
\ncalms the bruised spirit like a good go at the soap and water….The discovery
\nof a toy duck in the soap dish contributed not a little to this new and happier
\nframe of mind. What with one thing and another, I hadn’t played with toy ducks
\nin my bath for years, and I found the novel experience most invigorating. For
\nthe benefits of those interested, I may mention that if you shove the thing
\nunder the surface with the sponge and then let go, it shoots out of the water
\nin a manner calculated to divert the careworn.”<\/o:p><\/font><\/p>\n

As in the
\nabove snippet suggests, taking a bath or a shower is completely therapeutic in
\nthe truest sense of the word.  Water is a
\ngreat healer, whether one is drinking a nice cool, glass of it or taking a
\ndip in the tub.  Water heals, refreshes,
\ninvigorates, and cleanses.  And when you
\nadd fragrant soap to the tub and shower, the whole effect is even more wonderful
\nand enjoyable.<\/o:p><\/font><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a
\nsecret that is now no longer a secret:  I
\nlove soap.  Soap and water. And showers. 
\nBaths are good too.  Any kind of
\nwater contact involving fragrant soap is a miracle.  Really. 
\nNow that the secret is out, allow me to further elucidate on the
\nsubject. <\/o:p><\/font><\/p>\n

When I was
\ngrowing up the only soap we had in the house was Ivory, which, back then,
\nsmelled like well, a dull, yet somehow biting-block of lard.  Sometimes my mom ordered a bar from Avon
\nscented with musk or something, but in general, the soap fragrances back then
\nwere limited.  Liquid soap for showers
\nbecame popular when I was about 10, but even then, the fragrances were nothing
\ntoo exotic\u2014it was like showering with liquid dish-soap.<\/o:p><\/font><\/p>\n

Today we can
\nshower with any fruit we want\u2014pear, pineapple, strawberry, watermelon, pomegranate,
\ngrapefruit, peach, blueberry, mango, citrus, cucumber, and more.  We can lather in vegetables, like carrots and
\ncelery.  We can foam up with soaps
\nscented with almonds, pumpkins, honey, sandalwood, amber, vanilla, peppermint; and
\nflower essences like patchouli, lilac, clover, honeysuckle, and rose.  We can delight in spreading the rich lather
\nof cinnamon scented soap, or even chocolate scented soap. Soap making today is
\nan art form of the highest order (Check out my friend Vanessa’s website<\/font><\/a>: she is one of those artists making [among other many wonderful things] soap): Nirvanaland Essentials<\/b><\/font><\/a>).  Her soaps are amazing!<\/font><\/p>\n

I tell
\nyou the truth that taking a shower in the morning (or anytime) is one the
\nabsolute best parts of my day. I always (and you know I don\u2019t use the word \u201calways\u201d
\nvery often, but in this case, it\u2019s true) step out of a shower feeling like I\u2019ve
\nbeen blessed, baptized by holy water\u2014so ready to get on with the day. <\/o:p><\/font><\/p>\n

The French poet, Francis Ponge<\/font><\/a>, knew about the loveliness of water, and especially of soap.  He wrote a whole book-length prose-poem-meditation
\nabout soap (one of my all-time favorite books for its sheer enthusiasm and adventurous
\nspirit) in the 1940’s.  Here is a little excerpt from
\nhis book:<\/o:p><\/font><\/p>\n

\u201cThere is something adorable in the
\npersonality of soap.  Why adorable?  Because its behavior is at once the highest
\ndegree appealing and completely inimitable. 
\nHere is a sort of mediocre pebble, flatly reposing in the plainest
\nsaucer in the house.  A man comes in with
\ndirty hands.  Then the forgotten soap
\ngives itself up to him.  Not without some
\ncoquetry.  It swathes itself in
\nglistening, iridescent veils and, at the same time, tends to vanish\u2026no more
\nfugitive stone in nature. But then, the game exactly consists of holding it in
\nthe fingers and chafing it, by the addition of a dose of water sufficient to
\nobtain a voluminous, pearly slobber, wheras if one left it to remain in the
\nwater, it would perish in confusion.  For
\nsoap has its particular dignity\u2026it is a magic stone\u2026the more it foams, with air
\nand water, clusters of scented grapes, it is explosive\u2026water, air and soap
\noverlap, playing leapfrog\u2026Yet it is necessary to return it to its saucer, to
\nits austere oval, its dry patience, and its power to serve again.\u201d<\/o:p><\/font><\/i><\/p>\n

For me
\nthere is nothing like showering and lathering with soap that smells like
\nheaven.  It is a sensual and truly
\nself-affirming experience that I can\u2019t recommend enough.  And it is an experience comprised of the
\nsimplest ingredients: soap and water.<\/font><\/p>\n

And speaking
\nof water, my friend Lefty<\/font><\/a> has once again started a fundraising campaign with
\nThirst Relief International<\/b><\/font> <\/a>and so any and all donations that come to the
\nWonder Child Blog from this post (see the donation button below after the Ernie video) will be given directly to his campaign.  And for every $10 you donate he will donate
\n$5 until he\u2019s reached the goal of $2,500. So for as long as this post in
\nonline, any donations will go to Thirst
\nRelief International (TRI).  TRI is a
\nwonderful organization that helps provide clean, safe drinking water to the
\nnearly one billion people on our planet who have no access to any.  Of course, you can go directly to Lefty\u2019s campaign
\npage and donate there too.  Click this sentence for the link.<\/b><\/font><\/a> <\/o:p><\/font><\/p>\n

Now please
\ndon\u2019t think this post was a big set up to try and make you feel guilty for
\nloving soap and water or for taking long, leisurely showers.  That was not my intention at all.  I love long, leisurely showers and have no
\nguilt for taking them whatsoever.  I
\ndecided to add the fundraising piece to this post in hopes your love of water
\nand soap will be shared with others in a real and tangible way.  So have a splash in the porcelain and then donate
\nto Thirst Relief International.<\/b><\/font><\/a> <\/o:p><\/font><\/p>\n

Thank you
\nagain for reading my friends.  You are
\nthe bee\u2019s knees. <\/font><\/p>\n