Most people I know shower in the morning before they go out. Some people shower at night before they go to bed. Very few people share my sentiment for showering in the middle of the day, and there’s a reason for that.

Most people have things to do in the middle of the day. They go off to work and are there for eight hours everyday with break just enough to eat lunch. Even the folks I know who aren’t working traditional jobs or regular hours, they tend to be busy all day, running errands and meeting up with people as long as their up and out. Very few people have the luxury of taking a shower in the middle of the day…which is precisely why I consider it a luxury.

Granted, I don’t always get to take midday showers, but when I do they remind me of everything I love about the idea of being a professional writer and setting my own schedule. I think it’s a wonderful way to break up a day, to give myself some thinking time and come back to a story with a fresh, clean feeling. Knowing that I can waltz into the shower whenever I want then makes it this nice, relaxing event rather than some utilitarian form of hygiene.

When I think of all the ways people measure success with impressive degrees, job titles, nice cars, and big houses, I just want to ask anyone that has those things, Yeah, but can you shower midday? I feel like big houses are more fun to look at and dream about than actually live in. Midday showers, however, are the absolute pinnacle of freedom in today’s 9-5 workaday world.