Author: Vladimir Pyatsly
Translation: Natasha Tsimbler
This old man bathes slowly. Reluctantly, he decides to muster the effort needed for bathing. He tries to do everything himself. He prepares the clean clothes he will wear after bathing. He takes items out of his pockets and places them on the table in the bathroom – valuables he always keeps on his person, afraid of losing them or forgetting where they are. He undresses, struggling particularly with his pants and socks. He slowly turns on the faucets, adjusting the water temperature. Many of his movements have to be stopped and started over because the old man loses his balance a lot…
He thinks that the housekeeper has misplaced his sponge, which is actually lying at the bottom of the wash tub, just out of his sight. The old man lathers himself slowly. He does it with a thoroughness made possible only by the difficulty of his movements. A typical bather does not even realize that soaping up is a complex task made up of many parts, but the old man tackles it methodically, feeling a sense of relief after completing each step.
As he rinses the suds off his body, he closes his eyes – not merely to protect them from the soap, but to rest at the end of a challenging journey. The old man dresses with relief and a faint sense of pride. He feels that he has reclaimed another piece of a full life.
In the same way as the old man’s bathing, the path of spiritual cleansing unfolds.
Author
Author: Vladimir Pyatsly
Translation: Natasha Tsimbler
This old man bathes slowly. Reluctantly, he decides to muster the effort needed for bathing. He tries to do everything himself. He prepares the clean clothes he will wear after bathing. He takes items out of his pockets and places them on the table in the bathroom – valuables he always keeps on his person, afraid of losing them or forgetting where they are. He undresses, struggling particularly with his pants and socks. He slowly turns on the faucets, adjusting the water temperature. Many of his movements have to be stopped and started over because the old man loses his balance a lot…
He thinks that the housekeeper has misplaced his sponge, which is actually lying at the bottom of the wash tub, just out of his sight. The old man lathers himself slowly. He does it with a thoroughness made possible only by the difficulty of his movements. A typical bather does not even realize that soaping up is a complex task made up of many parts, but the old man tackles it methodically, feeling a sense of relief after completing each step.
As he rinses the suds off his body, he closes his eyes – not merely to protect them from the soap, but to rest at the end of a challenging journey. The old man dresses with relief and a faint sense of pride. He feels that he has reclaimed another piece of a full life.
In the same way as the old man’s bathing, the path of spiritual cleansing unfolds.
