Good for What Ails You: Recipe for a Relaxing Night

Good for what ails youI hope your holidays were/are delightful! I spent mine laying around my parents’ farmhouse, ‘grammin’ photos of a mild rural Central PA winter, working, and eating an obscene amount of cheese.

After a seriously pleasant few days back on the farm, we rolled into Philly late Saturday afternoon. Upon opening the car door to unload many bags and many (ok, just two) cats, city smells and and sounds and air assaulted my senses. Within five minutes, I had a rip-roaring headache and was starting to get whiny. I was missing the clean air and clear head that I’d left behind three short hours earlier.

So, just in case you’re having a rough time transitioning back to the real world after holiday travel, this is what worked for me. Behold, a recipe to feel like a new person.

Ingredients:

  • 2 hours
  • 1 steamy bath
  • a makeshift teabag out of cheesecloth, filled with lavender & cedar shavings
  • Trader Joe’s Lavender Sea Salt Scrub
  • 1 Anthropologie Volcano candle
  • 2 hot toddies
  • 3 glasses of ice water (the steam and hot toddies will dehydrate you; be sure to drink plenty of water!)
  • magazine and/or book of choice — mine were Frankie & When I Was a Child I Read Books
  • Emily Wells’ Mama Acoustic Recordings on repeat
  • a clean & tidy bedroom to retreat to upon leaving the bath

Prior to this, I think the last time I took a bath was probably the day I got married. Five and a half years ago. So it was high time I get reacquainted with reading in a steamy tub, all alone. It was glorious. I felt like a whole new person after emerging from my steamy solitude, and it’s set the tone for this whole week. Calm. Easy. Low pressure.

This episode aside, I’m mostly spending this quiet week working. The week between Christmas and the new year is a beautiful pause. It feels a little like time has stopped and there’s room for recalibration before really diving back into the everyday tasks. How are you filling this time?


Comments

5 responses to “Good for What Ails You: Recipe for a Relaxing Night”

  1. Hahaha a recipe for perfection. I have NO clue when the last time was I took a bath. Definitely not since I hit adulthood, but it sounds tempting. I’m sorry the city hit you with its nastiness. I know exactly what you mean. Conshy treats us pretty well. And there’s lots of cheese here. Just saying 😉

    1. Do it!

      I never expected to turn into someone who’d be susceptible to the city’s nastiness, but man. I’m turning into my parents after all. It’s especially poignant as I’m hitting the big 28 on Monday. Waaahhhhh.

      I didn’t know there was lots of cheese in Conshy! Tell me more! I do know all about Tradestone Confections — have you been?

      1. I have not been to Tradestone, but I’ve looked it up and now have it on my to-do list! 🙂

  2. This is fantastic and I will be using it tonight! I take a bath probably once a month, but it still doesn’t seem like enough. There’s just something about stopping to soak for a significant amount of time. I received a few LUSH bath bombs for Chanukah, so I’ll be putting those to use, but this Trader Joe’s salt scrub you speak of sounds amazing and I’m going to have to go pick some up!

    xo nicole
    writeslikeagirlblog.com

  3. You know, I have a bathtub and never actually use it. Maybe I should give this a chance. Also, thanks for the heads up on the water thing. I’ve got a theory that about 45 minutes in I would have started panicking about that. Solid suggestion 🙂

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *