Tuesday, January 11, 2011

precious shower and pee-ay

my most favourite part of the house is, apart from the kitchen, the bathroom. i've seen a lot of anecdotes about the bathroom or the toilet like "if you treat me nicely, i won't tell of what i've seen". it's funny but the bathroom has been a place of solace for me, where i can shut out the world and just be. it's the place i go to cry, to pray, to listen to my thoughts. i love taking showers and baths and i love to listen to the therapeutic pitter patter of the water. it reminds me of rain and the calm it gives me.

today was a very hectic day both at work and at home. i had plenty chores to do and a lot of cooking as well. i did everything at one time and i know it would leave me depleted but i thought i should get everything out of the way so i can sit quietly. one thing after the other and it's just now that i get to write. i got my epiphany while i was in the shower. i got my idea to write about how important it is to be alone with one's thought and to find that place that lets you think. for me - it's the bathroom. i love to go to the toilet so much, my monicker became pee-ay. when i was in college, my icon for my name was a toilet. such was my affinity, if not nature's call to commune in what the philippines call "the rest room". indeed, one can find rest in the bathroom, whether natural or emotional. it's a place of release, where you can be yourself. just let it all out figuratively and otherwise.

the shower left me fresh physically and prepared me mentally for my tasks at hand.

when i was under the "rain", i also thought of the more than showerlike floods brought on by torrential rains in queensland. my office roommate is from there and her mum's place is threatened to flood. i remember when typhoon ondoy hit the philippines and left many people stranded, homeless and lifeless. the showers of nature serves as a wake-up call much like a shower wakes you up from sleep. natural disasters are uncontrollable. it is also unpredictable. only so much can be done to prepare. but one can still prepare.

how can one prepare for the deluge of nature and life?

one way is to embrace it. much like the shower i took, i let it envelop me as it washed away the dirt and fatigue of my body. the deluge of life can be momentary or drawn out. it depends on you. the flood serves to wash away the unnecessary and let's you think what is really important in life. after ondoy hit the philippines, many people were left with the bare essentials. they managed and some did not want for what they do not have but was thankful for another chance at life. floods also clear away nature's landscape, making way for the new.

another is to reflect. what caused the deluge, how can it be prevented? how much should i invest in rebuilding? is it worth it? how has it affected me? how can i move on?

the final is to act. after embracing the deluge of life, reflect and learn and then act. now that the deluge is over, what is left to pick up? what is there to throw away? how will you move on?

what deluge are you experiencing now?