Morning Shower

The dreadful feeling of waking up. The alarm is screaming in your ear, but your dreams are begging for a few more moments of livelihood. You stand up and feel sore and stiff from the night’s inactivity. The once cool comfort of the air conditioned room seems harsh and unfriendly in the cool morning air. The floor is hard and unwelcoming compared to the pillow your head rested on just moments before. Your head feels as hazy as a smog-filled city. The walk to the shower seems long and tedious because the anticipation of the hot stream is beckoning you to it. You wait impatiently as the water runs to hot and anxiously climb in.

The water penetrates your hair and falls down your back. The bodily tension from a night of dreaming splashes down the drain. The goosebumps slowly fade as the room fills with steam. After a few moments, you remember your shower obligations. You resent the work involved which interferes with the joy of the downpour. Hair must be shampooed and conditioned, skin calls for a lathering and unwanted hair needs to be shaved. As you go to give your hair one final rinse, something peculiar has occurred. While anticipating a few final moments of pleasure, you begin to feel an uncomfortableness. Your skin has turned red and too soft. The steam chokes your breath, and you feel incapable of filling your lungs to capacity. The once cherished heat of the bathroom seems lifeless and suffocating. After a few moments of contemplation, you quickly turn off the spout and grab a towel. The sight of the steamed mirror furthers the trapped feeling.

You open the door as quickly as possible and welcome the cool air of the morning. Your lungs fill with the dry air. The towel quickly dissipates all residual moisture from your skin. The body is free of the constraining and overbearing shower. The uncertainty of the day looms ahead, but you are anxious to see what it holds for you.