Community Voices for Health

By: Anne Marie Holloway

Sounds silly, but it’s true. My best ideas come to me when I am in the shower! Being the mother of four kids (which include two ukelele players, one trumpet player and a wannabe drummer), there are very few quiet moments in my home.

When in need of a moment to “think,” I will occasionally try to sneak out to the back yard to seek clarity among the peacefully chirping finches, only to find my handsome husband has settled into his favorite chair with one of his banjos. Did I mention that my husband has been learning to play the banjo for the past two years? Did you know that the banjo is a rather boisterous instrument?

So, bottom line, “quiet moments” are hard to come by here in the land of Holloway. The only place that the joyful, raucous band of novice musicians do not follow me is into the bathroom! I know that this is no secret to all you skilled mothers out there: historically, the bathroom has been a clandestine hideout for most moms seeking clarity!

It is comical how much I look forward to the showers of inspiration that swirl inside my brain as I wash my face or condition my hair! In the shower, I have written books, faith-inspired prayers, designed an addition for my home, rearranged my closets, written numerous letters and emails, planned vacations, made meal plans, chosen paint colors, solved many a world crisis and created the non-profit company that I will surely launch – on my own.

The shower has such healing and empowering effects on my mind. I can take on the world, be fearless, and embrace positivity and enthusiasm from my tile-lined fortress. Life makes such sense from the view of the cascading waters that whirl tub side and down the drain!

And then there is a knock at the door and a little voice says, “Mom? Can I come in? I’ve really got to go.” The door to the bathroom creaks, and I remember that we need to fix that. The little person of my creation settles in on the porcelain throne and begins to share thoughts and ideas with me from outside the shower curtain. We laugh and talk as I become a human raisin – all wrinkled from being in the shower far too long.

Another one of my creations pokes their head in as the littlest washes his hands. I hear the toilet seat snap as it is closes and the two kiddos begin to chat – as I listen from my watery haven.

Before you know it, I cannot remember any of my brilliant shower-inspired ideas, but it does not matter. There are way too many people in the bathroom talking to me from beyond the waterproof plastic that separates me from the “real world.”

There goes my theory that the bathroom is a hideout for mothers!

I smile, as my husband’s voice kindly questions, “What are you people doing?” and he then protectively says, “Leave your mother alone and get out of the bathroom!” They all reluctantly file out, I imagine, with heads down in disappointment.

Then one last question from my husband before he closes the door, “Are you okay in there?”

“Yes. I just need another minute.” And as the door closes, peace returns, and I am flooded again with inspiration as I invent the world’s first flying car – a hovercraft mini-van – with time warp capabilities!

All while reaching for the bar of soap…