Dad Entry #42

Michael asked me tonight, “Do Jedi have to take baths, or showers?” (We read a Star Wars book and, before lights-out, told a story with Jedi characters.) So his brain was really churning and, not surprisingly, out popped a deep question. Deep? Yes, because Michael wasn’t equating himself to a Jedi. And he wasn’t asking which they take, baths or showers. The way he asked it, I could tell Michael’s curiosity was centered around this thought, “Do beings with powers still have to do ordinary things?” Do Jedi have to clean themselves? How mundane! Do they put their pants on one leg at a time? (Maybe not since they have The Force at their disposal!). Do superheroes sleep? Do they ever make themselves a snack? What about their laundry? Do they ever reach for the toilet paper and find it down to the cardboard. Empty. Bummer. I explained that some Jedi are human. Obi Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker, for example. So I would assume they shower or bathe just like we do. And Anakin Skywalker is not only human, he’s also Padme’s boyfriend. I emphasized this as significant, although I think Michael was incredulous. Yep, after a long day of battling Separatists, it is Padme who insists Anakin wash off the dirt from foreign planets, the soot on his face from chasing enemies on speeders, the debris from evil battle droids he’s light sabered in half, or maybe oil stains from repairing his shot-up starfighter engines. Not to mention, he probably sweats a little, especially on Tatooine, his home planet, which is a desert climate. Then I anticipated Michael’s next question. What about Jedi like Yoda and Kit Fisto; they are both green and strange-looking, which is to say, distinctly not human. I admitted I’m no expert on alien hygiene. So I told Michael we can just pretend or believe whatever we want to. I braced myself for more questions like, “Yoda is really short, do you think he uses a stool at the sink like Megan?” (How demeaning for a Jedi Master!!!) Uh-oh, now I can't stop wondering… does Yoda have his own miniature facilities? He must. A low showerhead. A restroom like at Michael’s preschool outfitted for little people. So many things to think about…