Time to Stand

Today I had a shower and stood the entire time. This may seem like a strange thing to write about but I'm sure I've mentioned in a previous post that I normally use a shower bench. I'm home at my parents house for Easter weekend and when I was packing to leave I didn't feel like bringing the shower bench with me. I did bring the bath pillow I use as a cushion, figuring I could always just sit in the bottom of the tub while I showered or simply have only baths while I was home.

One of the most challenging aspects of taking a shower without my bench was step one. Getting in. My parents have deep soaker tubs and when I stand next to it, the lip of the tub actually comes up to my knees. Bracing myself, one hand on either side of the tub, I was able to step/hop in. Once in, I did hesitate for a moment, slightly worried about repeating this again after showering when everything would be wet. I'd cross that bridge when I came to it.

Washing my hair wasn't too difficult but did pose some challenges. I'd say it's pretty normal to use both hands to wash your hair. This means no hand to steady myself. While I can stand for extended periods of time on just my left foot without holding on to anything, I was being extra cautions due to the possibility of slipping. I dealt with this by using my elbow as a contact point with the wall. It meant I could keep my balance in check while still having both hands available to wash my hair.

Really the only other issue was with rising my hair and washing my face. Basically any time I had my eyes closed. For the most part, I just kept one hand on the wall and I was just fine. I'm realizing now that I've listed an issue, even if it was minor, with nearly every step of taking a shower. Nevertheless, it wasn't all that bad. It just required tweaking how I would normally do a couple things. Which I am very used to by now. And for safety reasons I'd say I was much more attentive than in my usual showers.

This was something I wanted to try out sooner rather than later. I know that at some point or another I'm going to go on a trip or stay over at someone's place and have no other option but to stand to shower. Or not shower at all. So it's nice to know it can be done. That being said, I'll be sticking with my shower bench when I'm at my own place.