Bathtime.

"There must be quite a few things that a hot bath won't cure, but I don't know many of them." ~Sylvia Plath

This is the gloriousness I crawled into tonight, after a difficult, tiring day.  I seem to be living minute by minute lately, not looking too far ahead but just trying to embrace what is right in front of me at the time.  Yes, there is a multitude of laundry to fold, cloth diapers to stuff, dinner dishes to put in the dishwasher, but what could be better at this moment than soaking in a candlelit hot bath with a great book and a glass of wine?

And the best part?  I've always wanted a bathtub caddy but it seemed like a "luxury" purchase, ya know?  Then, as I was walking home from Bre's the other day, voila!  This stainless steel bath caddy was in someone's bulk trash pile on the side of the road!  I'm not ashamed to pick up someone's trash.  My unknown benefactor has no idea (her?) discarded trash is giving me such joy tonight.  It even has a taper candleholder and a spot for my Cabernet.  Could it be any more perfect?

So I nestled my current reading material - The Middle Place by Kelly Corrigan, a birthday gift from Suz - in between the terry-cloth turtle finger puppet, rubber duckie wearing a blue bowtie, and California Baby shampoo.  A pretty clear depiction of life these days - baby stuff invades everyday life, but mommy still manages to find ways for her old self to poke through.

I love this article my dear friend Kierstin wrote on the Art House America blog - it beautifully expresses the thoughts of many mothers who, like both Kierstin and I, struggle to keep our creative selves alive amidst the daily joys and challenges of motherhood.  Kierstin does a wonderful job of it and inspires me regularly across the miles.  Even something like a simple evening bath - bubbles, warmth, candlelight, immersing myself in good writing - speaks to that part of me, curing me from the ways I've pushed myself aside all day.  Inspiring me to take a few moments and write for myself, just for the expression of it.

Motherhood is far more wonderful than I ever knew it could be; it is also the most difficult, draining, challenging job I've ever had.  But it's nothing that a hot bath won't cure.