Since my wife and I normally only stuff a soaking hand towel into the drain hole at home our son had never really (strangely) been excited about “pulling the plug.” He was much more interested in his squirting animal toys that floated on the surface of the water. Thanks to Mom and Dad these toys occasionally attacked him with water. They also, as a design feature, served to aid in the cleaning of a wriggly baby in water by providing a small shower for a soapy head and a squirting function for hard to reach areas and distraction. Watching our son play with these toys has always been a joy. Particularly it reminds me of the joy I used to have with such simple things as floating objects in water. There was a sense of wonder I had forgotten about. During our trip north our son found additional things to be excited about.
In grandma’s bathtub there is a drain-stopper made of rubber with a long silver chain laying on the clean white porcelain surface of the tub. It shines like a diamond in the tub. Unlike the bath toys it doesn’t float. Only babies with a sense of adventure would risk sticking their hand so deep into the water to retrieve such an object but our son was one such baby. His bravery will go down in history. When he pulled the plug out I was quickly thrown back into the past. As the water gurgled and eventually began to swirl I distinctly remembered things long forgotten. I used to be so fascinated with the swirling of the water. It started as a thin line and eventually became a large tornado before emptying the tub. I remember just sitting and watching and waiting.
Each day our son discovers something new it feels like I rediscover a part of my past that must have lost importance (or the appearance of importance) over the years but remains a vital part of my life. Our son reminds my of the times when I used to be fascinated with everything. It’s kind of nice to go back there every once in a while.