Sunday is supposed to be family day. But both girls were engrossed with their school activities. Lauren as Associate Editor of Katipunan Magazine needed to beat the press deadline while second daughter was rehearsing for her UP chorale group. Such is our empty nest but Butch and I turned our otherwise lonely day to a “couple time” day. Off we went to the Fitness First gym to burn some of our fats and acquire our endorphin fix. At 10:00 AM, the gym was pretty quiet which made it even more relaxing. We agreed to have a quick sauna and steam bath in preparation for our Goat Milk bath. Downstairs at the “Body Care” , our warm milk bath was ready. My husband thinks the milk bath is unnecessary . I gently threw sudsy water at him. Just relax , will you? This is to soften our skin in preparation for the body massage. Besides it’s complimentary so don’t complain. I read somewhere that Cleopatra bathed in goat’s milk daily, and it has been used for years to moisturize and soothe dry skin, as well as to heal eczema, psoriasis and other skin conditions.
Body massage was the next agenda and amidst the twittering bird and buzzing bee music, our bodies surrendered to the soothing pressure of the long, flowing strokes. I felt all the stress being flushed out of my system.
It’s past 1:00 PM and we’re hungry but we couldn’t wait to go home for lunch. At the “Pasto Cafe”, our light lunch consisted of a vegetali panini and the spicy Arriabata pasta . Watching my husband’s smiling face, I can’t help being happy for him. At least he’s learned to let go of rigidity . Learning to be spontaneous and fun takes practice. It’s something we forgot after grieving for years. I know this will be another difficult week as our son’s 13th birthday approaches on July 13.
Our day culminated in a Sunday Mass. The day is not complete if we don’t thank God for such a wonderful day. I am thankful that God continues to guide us in our road to recovery.
Today we pampered our body, our mind and our soul. Getting away from the children and devoting our day to each other gave us the opportunity to reconnect and de-stress. Love the second time around is indeed so rewarding.
