It’s hardly so simple.
**
I am one of those annoying bibliophiles.
So Ive never been a bathtub reader.
Credit: Getty Images
What if the pages get damp?!
What if, god forbid, I make a false move and drop the whole book in the tub?
The possibilities were too horrifying to consider.
This situation should, frankly, be great for reading.
But its also incredibly difficult to focus right now.
To even be categorized as a romance, a book has to have an HEA thats happily-ever-after.
Whats more soothing than the promise of a happy ending?
I set the book aside, knowing I couldnt possibly concentrate on it for the time being.
In five days, Id get through 75 pages; I typically finish at least two books in that.
At a certain point, I was looking for anything to reduce my stress levels.
Los Angeles restaurants and bars were closing; New York City was intensifying measures by the hour.
Was there some way to not dwell on that?
Even for 15 minutes?
A boozy bath seemed in order.
I cant bring technology in there with me thats half the point.
While running the water, the idea first hit me.
Like, really, why have I spent years worrying about this?
You know what paper does after it gets wet?
You know what happens if you destroy a book by accident?
you could buy another one its not like Im taking my signed collection of Tennessee Williams plays in there.
And Im long past worrying about falling into any self-care stereotypes.
Let me tell you, I have been missing out.
I found a way to restore my reading sanity.
I read until the water turned cold and my pruny thumbs demanded I stop.
I never thought Id become a bathtub reader, but desperate times call for desperate measures.
I cant see myself turning back now even after our lives go back to some semblance of normal.
But only with paperbacks.
Im not a monster.
