Fi’zi:k R5
What a pair, my wife and I.
Like many couples, we share a bathroom.
We have a second bathroom but there have been others in the house. Kids 😂
For thirty years, I would wake up, make breakfast for myself, enjoy a coffee while watching the local news before showering, and then heading out to the office, usually on my bike. I would be out the door before she was even up. She never complained. Why would she? She had the house to herself until I returned at the end of the day.
Sometime during the day, I would fit in a workout – a circuitous route home on my bike, a run at noon, laps in the local pool, a visit to the gym to spin, row, or lift weights. It was always a priority. And, when I would get home, I often had a second shower before sitting down for the evening.
I retired last year. I had been preparing for several years, gradually cutting my hours back until I was comfortable with the move. I had anticipated everything.
Well, almost everything.
I had overlooked my wife’s personal space. You see, the house, at least during the day, was hers. Hers alone. All of a sudden, the bathroom was too small. The exhaust fan insufficient to handle more than one shower a day. And, of course, I was messy.
She was driving me crazy. At one point, she suggested I shower at the club. You see, I belong to a private racquet club nearby that I visit regularly, particularly in the cooler, wetter, winter months when I’m on the road bikes less frequently. So, that’s what I began doing. Following breakfast, my morning coffee and the news, I now head to the club instead of the office.
At first, I was annoyed to even think I had to leave my own home for a shower. Now, I see it very differently.
This has been a blessing of sorts. Now, the bathroom is no longer too small. And, I no longer feel guilty going to the club. I get my workout out of the way, and then have the rest of the day for other things (like bike rides). My workouts are not rushed. I’m not trying to fit them in during the day. I have befriended “athletes” like myself dedicated to their daily, morning workouts. And, I have a sauna, and steam room to relax my aching muscles.
I no longer think of this as a compromise. I actually prefer it.
Why didn’t I think of this myself 🤔
I have a cleaner, larger, more modern, and better equipped bathroom. I get a better, closer shave, thanks to the steam room. I don’t have a bathroom to clean, or towels to wash. And, I have made a whole new set of like-minded, neighbourhood friends: an English Professor who has updated my reading list; an Olympian rehabbing overuse injuries who has taught me how to stretch better; a Schwarzenegger-like body builder who has shown me how to lift more effectively; a chiropractor who shares the spinning bikes, and gives me advice when my back hurts; a cohesive group of senior doubles squash players who have played together for decades and somehow keep everyone in the change room doubled over in laughter; and more importantly, I have met several road cyclists I never knew were members of the club.
It appears I didn’t compromise a thing. My life is richer for not showering at the house.
What a pair odd bedfellows make 😂
PedalWORKS 