Today I’m grateful for a 5 p.m. shower.

11.2.2024

---

I took a shower today at approximately 5 p.m. Do you know what a 5 p.m. shower means? It means I had a pretty amazing Saturday.

I’ve always considered myself to be an extrovert. I generally like being around people, and I feed off of other people’s energy. I go stir crazy with too much downtime. But after a week of teaching, I often make it to the weekend feeling over-stimulated and desperately in need of a respite. Even we extroverts need to slow our pace and have some alone time in order to recharge sometimes.

So when I can have a Saturday like today, I’m a happy, happy girl. I woke up this morning without an alarm. Instead of jumping right into the shower and right into action like I do most every day, I spent a leisurely morning drinking coffee and watching old Friends episodes in bed. Eventually I got up, made breakfast and did a load of laundry, but with a no-hurry-no-worry kind of pace. I took a late morning nap on the couch, and woke up in time to watch the Iowa State football game on TV. I snuggled with my dog, cheered on the Cyclones, reheated some leftovers for a quick lunch, and basked in the quiet and solitude my brain and my soul so badly needed. Aside from a few texts, I interacted with no one. It was wonderful.

Then came the 5 p.m. shower. There was nothing particularly special about the shower, except that it represented the transition from solitude Karen to social Karen. The late afternoon/early evening shower meant that I got to spend the greater part of the day lounging in my pajamas, resting and recuperating from a very busy week. But the 5 p.m. shower also meant that I had somewhere fun to be tonight, and it was time to shower, put on real clothes, do my hair, and go get my people fix for the day.

It really was a pretty perfect day. I rested. I relaxed. I hibernated. And then, late in the day, I sprang into action. I left my house. I had dinner with friends. I celebrated a birthday. I played games. I hugged. I laughed.

Not every Saturday is like this. In fact, days like this are pretty rare. But today … today I achieved the perfect balance of solitude vs. social life. I got the best of both worlds today, separated by my 5 p.m. shower.