The Bathroom

My response to the handout given to us; an extract from Busch. A. Geography of Home (writings on where we live).

This text discusses how the bathroom is perceived and utilised by people in different countries and cultures, both historically and socially.

The bathroom for me is a quiet place of contemplation.  It is a place to find privacy, and a place to unwind and relax after a busy day. I also see the bathroom as a quick and convenient way to get clean. But if I am very tired, or feeling unwell, that is when I indulge in a bath surrounded by candles and steam, where my mind relaxes and I am prone to meditate and clear my head. It is in the bath that I may reveal something that had previously eluded me. I find it is a spiritual place; running water is thought to heighten the senses and insights are more prone to materialise. The pipes are believed to house the spirits of the dead and give them the energy they seek to make themselves known. The warmth of the water evokes a sense of safety and is a reminder of the womb.

When my children were very young, the bathroom was a place of solace if stress levels increased because of their constant demands, which were sometimes overwhelming. The bathroom became a place of retreat, to gather my thoughts, count backwards from 10 and face the demands with calm restored.

I don’t read in the bathroom. The author of the text assumes that everyone does, but this is a generalisation, one that I disagree with. I know many people who don't read in the bathroom.

Busch notes that the telephone has not found a place in the bathroom. I do agree with the writer in this, I don't think that it will ever find a permanent place in the bathroom.