‘It’s time to have your shower ‘ I said to my little one and I got the reply ‘but, I don’t want to’. Immediately I knew it was going to be one of those dreaded arguments going to and fro, why I can’t use some of the draconian method that worked during my time beats me. Anyway I said ‘but you have to’ so she said ‘but I don’t like having my shower ‘ so I said ‘you know, ‘like’ has nothing to do with this, because if you don’t shower you will smell’ and she went ‘I don’t smell’ and I went ‘of course you do, you just can’t smell yourself, moreover you perspire’ and she was like ‘I can’t see any sweat and I haven’t exerted myself or left the house, remember it is lockdown!’ So again I said ‘you might not see the sweat or smell yourself, but we can smell you and you need to have a shower!’ Anyway after much draining to-ing and fro-ing she reluctantly gave in and drag herself to the bathroom muttering under her breath how I was some kind of unsavoury mother!
Battle won, I cocked my self-righteous head to one side, wondering if I have been blessed with a dirty lazy child. Little one showered, nice and clean, going about her business. A thought crossed my mind to go and read the self-development book I planned to read and my first response without thinking was ‘but, I don’t want to!’ Surprise, surprise and who is here talking back? So the voice asked me ‘why?’ And I replied that ‘the book was tedious and difficult to read, it forces me to think, consider my ways, make changes, blah, blah!’ And the voice replied ‘how is that an issue?’ I replied, ‘well I am not in the mood, moreover I read a lot than most people and all I want now is some passive entertainment, something that titillates’. Anyway the argument with myself went on and I vehemently stood my ground, giving all kind of reasons (more likely excuses) including how fed up I was, how I know a lot already, how I didn’t believe everything that was written, how the book was boring, how I have grown enough, I am so wise and no one has ever complained about me not being wise etc. Half way into my long winded defence, I caught myself and realised my attitude wasn’t much different from that of my daughter. If anything I should know better. So I likewise reluctantly drag myself to my desk to ‘shower’ my spirit and mind.
To put it in a crude way, we live in a ‘dirty’ world. The same way we need to cleanse our body daily and brush our teeth daily in order not to smell, we need to cleanse our mind, our spirit and our soul. The cleansing we did yesterday was for yesterday’s dirt. Our spirit, our mind, our soul are under constant bombardment from negativity, difficulties, problems, confusion, pandemic, conflicts etc. We don’t need to leave the house, we don’t even need to see anyone, our mind generates enough ‘issues’ in the same manner that the body generates sweat and we need to ‘wash’ it off by the constant renewing of our minds and communion with our maker, in order not to give off an ‘off’ odour. The mind left to itself is like an untended garden, it goes wild and weeds will grow. There is no other way but constant tending to our whole being, body, spirit and soul.
I am sorry but we have to, even if atimes we do it grudgely. Difficulty and feeling is not sufficient reason not to. Growth is our portion, a cleanse mind is the bedrock of innovation.
Beautiful Ivory 