Every house has its peculiarities and ours is no exception. When someone is using the upstairs shower, nobody else had better turn on a tap elsewhere in the house. If they do, the water temp can change drastically -- so the bather gets boiled or frozen, or in some cases, the pressure is reduced to a trickle. This is definitely not good if you've just shampooed your hair.
Thus, we've evolved a habit of announcing to anyone else who is home, "I'm going to take a shower now." Translation: don't anyone else use water right now. On emerging, we call, "I'm out," meaning anyone who wants to turn on a tap or flush a toilet is now free to do so.
This system has worked for years and years, but the other day, it failed. I didn't get mad this time, or take it personally, as I used to. Years ago, when there were a lot more of us in the house, it happened on a regular basis and I would suspect people were doing it on purpose to annoy me. This time, I calmly stepped out of the stream, adjusted the temperature and waited for the pressure to return to normal.
Noticing my calm reaction to this minor discomfort, I was pleased. It means I'm evolving. Now I realize nothing is personal, blame is futile, and I'm not the centre of other people's universes. Good to know.
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