HOT PURSUIT

Have you ever experienced one of those mornings that just didn’t get off on the right track from the start?
I had one of those last week.
After a little more tossing and turning than usual in bed throughout the night, I woke up with a headache. It doesn’t happen often, but every once in a while, it strikes.
No biggie, I’ll just hop in the warm shower to take the pain away.
Well, that was a big mistake and from there my morning seemed to get even worse.
Once I jumped in the shower, I realized there was no hot water.
As I cussed a little under my breath, I cranked the control handle as far as it could go. No luck. Still cold and no hot water flowing out.
I quickly washed up as best as I could. Perhaps it’s a psychological thing, but I always feel as if I’m not clean without a warm shower.
So it seemed to set the rest of my day into a tizzy. It really wasn’t that bad, but it seems like once I get off track at the start of the day, it’s always hard for me to pull the train back on the tracks.
My keen investigative skills quickly led me to the culprit—the water heater. As I running around in a rush to get off to work, I checked the water heater in the basement and found it had gone out. I tried what I thought was the way to restart the heater, but no luck.
Later in the day I learned from a friend that I wasn’t sparking the water heater in the right way to get it going again. Once I got home, I worked some magic and finally got it operating. Hot water is back!
Luckily, I didn’t need a new unit.
I was a little surprised to learn that cold showers offer health benefits that last longer than the goosebumps I came out with. Supposedly, benefits from cold showers include everything from improving your circulation to weight loss to ramping up your immune system. Researchers have found that taking icy showers may heighten your immune system and make you more resistant to illness.
I also found cold showers may have benefits for your hair and skin since warm water can strip natural oils away. Studies also show that cold water may stimulate blood flow, boost mood and other health benefits. Research even suggests that a 30-second blast of cold water at the end of a shower may boost immunity.
But I’m not real keen about sticking with cold showers or any hint of them any time soon. What’s worse is I think a cold shower shocks your body into stress it doesn’t need. My luck it would throw my heart into some irregular heartbeat that I wouldn’t be able to recover from.
I guess I won’t be in hot pursuit of dipping myself into any polar plunges any time soon. I’ll stick with the comforts of my warm shower.