It was still dark out side as we scrambled around each other in the bathroom getting ready for another day. The bathroom windows were steamed up from the back-to-back showering that precedes our daily public appearances. We were doing well, we were on time and we knew we didn't have to contend with fresh snow on the roads. The day was off to a grand start as Greg shaved his overnight stubble with the razor that had more engineering design features than my vehicle.
As he shaved, his face reflected back at him half covered in the white foamy minty smelling stuff. He stopped briefly, turned to look at me and announced that men and women shower differently. Well that was a showstopper. My first thought flew out of my mouth unheeded. How many women had he witnessed showering and what scientific evidence did he have to support his claim? As my thoughts and mouth went into overdrive I nearly poked myself in the eye with my mascara wand due to my surprise. Really? Men and women shower differently?
Apparently he knew we showered differently due to TV shows, movies, and commercials, in addition to having been married to me. Okay so once his integrity had been reestablished we moved on to the underlying question of what was different. I wanted to know because I figured it would make good fodder for writing. Sometimes I understand why Greg is inherently a quiet guy. When he is quiet he can't be quoted! But the men and women showering thing was a goody. He was sunk; I was not going to leave that alone. There was a surprise to uncover.
He was extremely helpful in uncovering the surprise and helping me to understand it more fully. Difference number one; men stand facing the stream of water while women stand facing away from the water. My first reaction was, "women face away so they can rinse their hair properly without getting shampoo in their eyes." Quick as lightening he came back with, "I used to have hair too you know, and I showered facing the water then."
Yes he was right; he did use to have hair - lots of it - curly and down to his shoulders a veritable Samson. But he has been more Kojak than Samson for a long time now so I tend to forget that he had more hair than me at one time. That meant my hair rinsing reason for the showering differences was questionable at best. I asked for more examples of how men and women shower differently, and he came up with men treat showers more like a necessity and women seem to treat them more like an experience. Women stand in the water just because, then they wrap up in huge towels appearing to simply enjoy swaddling themselves. Those are not the exact words he used but you get the picture.
Somewhere amidst the words and the silliness of the surprise there may be some truth hidden. Maybe it's not gender related. Maybe it's not about differences as much as about our similarities. Or possibly it is simply what we have all witnessed in the media and subconsciously copied in our reality. If the latter is true, what else have we adopted without question? Sometimes the simplest most innocuous surprise can lead you to a big huge log that needs to be lifted up and flipped over. I'm going to try showering facing into the water this week, figuratively and literally! I won't do that because one way is right or wrong. I will do it to challenge myself to make conscious choices. How about you? Face in or face away?
As he shaved, his face reflected back at him half covered in the white foamy minty smelling stuff. He stopped briefly, turned to look at me and announced that men and women shower differently. Well that was a showstopper. My first thought flew out of my mouth unheeded. How many women had he witnessed showering and what scientific evidence did he have to support his claim? As my thoughts and mouth went into overdrive I nearly poked myself in the eye with my mascara wand due to my surprise. Really? Men and women shower differently?
Apparently he knew we showered differently due to TV shows, movies, and commercials, in addition to having been married to me. Okay so once his integrity had been reestablished we moved on to the underlying question of what was different. I wanted to know because I figured it would make good fodder for writing. Sometimes I understand why Greg is inherently a quiet guy. When he is quiet he can't be quoted! But the men and women showering thing was a goody. He was sunk; I was not going to leave that alone. There was a surprise to uncover.
He was extremely helpful in uncovering the surprise and helping me to understand it more fully. Difference number one; men stand facing the stream of water while women stand facing away from the water. My first reaction was, "women face away so they can rinse their hair properly without getting shampoo in their eyes." Quick as lightening he came back with, "I used to have hair too you know, and I showered facing the water then."
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| Facing Away Last Summer |
Somewhere amidst the words and the silliness of the surprise there may be some truth hidden. Maybe it's not gender related. Maybe it's not about differences as much as about our similarities. Or possibly it is simply what we have all witnessed in the media and subconsciously copied in our reality. If the latter is true, what else have we adopted without question? Sometimes the simplest most innocuous surprise can lead you to a big huge log that needs to be lifted up and flipped over. I'm going to try showering facing into the water this week, figuratively and literally! I won't do that because one way is right or wrong. I will do it to challenge myself to make conscious choices. How about you? Face in or face away?
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