Women’s Self Care
Pleasures Found Not Guilty, All Charges Dropped
Why many women care for themselves last and need to reevaluate their priorities
by Lezlie Christian
Hot water gurgled into the deep, oval tub, filling the bathroom with aromatic steam. Bubbles began to form in profusion on the surface, and golden candlelight suffused the room with warmth. Soft music played in the background as I prepared for a long, hot soak. The book I was currently reading was sitting on the edge of the tub.
I had debated with myself over whether I should spend the time and the water on a bath when I had so many things that needed doing. About 150 papers were stacked neatly on my desk, awaiting my attention, and I had an assignment due in my graduate class. My floors were dirty, and laundry overflowed the wicker basket in my closet. But my shoulders ached and my feet hurt, and my neck was a cordon of knots. Feeling slightly guilty for the extravagance, I slipped into the near-scalding water.
“Oh,” I sighed, unable to refrain from an audible expression of the intense satisfaction the hot water immediately brought me. My body began to relax in the soothing water. I immersed myself up to my chin, and every part of my body except my head was ensconced in the bubbly…
