Soak

Soak
Katie Sill

Avoid artificial perfumes and fragrances; instead, use all natural products to achieve the desired results.

A reader should be able to ease his way into the book with a hiss and a sigh, prepared to stay for a while. The narrative should rise and caress his feet, his shins and thighs. As he turns the pages and slides in deeper, it climbs up and over his hips, running open palms across the planes of his stomach, and around to his back and shoulders. It’s a full body embrace where the warmth penetrates and erodes the sedimentary layers of fatigue.

Relax sore aching muscles with eucalyptus leaves, ginger root, marjoram herb, mustard seed powder, rosemary leaves, and/or sage leaves.

A tedious narrative dilutes the story and makes the reader sleepy. Rhythmic kneading with no variety in pressure or tension it will cause him to abandon it prematurely to seek out other comforts. A good story, on the other hand, keeps the reader engaged. They spend hours gazing into each other’s eyes, listening to the sound of their breaths – from every sharp inhale to every crisp fold. The print rises like goose bumps at the slight, teasing, scratch of a nail or under feather-light finger pads.

Moisturize with calendula flowers, chamomile flowers, elder flowers, jasmine flowers, rose buds, and/or violet leaves.

If the narrative gets too hot, he will leap out and away from the text – a sudden gasping breath after having been submerged for so long. Dizzy and disoriented, it will be hard to persuade him, that, once he gets back in, his body will adjust to the initial shock and acclimate to the plot. He will resist just as much as if the story had run cold. Even if the reader is particularly stubborn, grits his teeth and endures the heat, he will not emerge from the experience unscathed. At best, he will walk away only to return later. At worst, his scalded mind will take weeks or even months to heal. Some readers never fully recover.

Calm irritated skin with baking soda or oatmeal powder. Essential oils to use include cedar wood, lavender, peppermint, and/or sandalwood.

Ever the faithful servant, the writer must tend to the story to ensure that the pacing excites as well as soothes – only allowing the narrative to cool at the resolution. By then, the reader will close the book and leave spiritually and intellectually refreshed.

When done bathing, visualize your tension being pulled down the drain along with the bathwater.

 

 

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