Sunday, November 15, 2009

Small things...


Shortly after my now wife and I were beginning our relationship (~25 years ago), we were staying at a motel somewhere and I was watching one of the, then fairly rare, "lifestyles of the rich and famous" programs.  I remember it well because I seldom watched TV and was sort of enamored of this type of programming - I could see all the details about people whom I had to hate because they clearly lived in all the luxury that I so desired.

They were touring a luxury hotel and they made a point of all the details they checked out in cleaning a room at every opportunity.

One of the details they checked out was that the end of the toilet paper was placed just so - coming over the top and the sheet folded in a "V" and had a finished, deliberate, look and was convenient to grab.

I must admit that, until that very moment, I had not given a single thought about how the end of the toilet paper roll hung out.  I guess I just looked at it as either a random matter or trusted my gut.  Hard to imagine that I was once such a cretin.

It also seems funny now that within a day of my acquiring this knowledge, my then girlfriend (now wife of 20+ years) felt it necessary to "teach me" the "right" way of leaving the toilet roll which was, of course, the paper needed to come from behind and underneath the roll.  I started to protest with my new found knowledge and immediately recognized the look I've seen so many times since that this was going to be a fight.

I didn't fight.  I realized that it just wasn't worth it to me that I be "right" in this matter.

To this day, if you come to our house, you will be able to tell who last changed the roll of toilet paper.  As, I think, I generally change rolls more than she does (why is that?), the paper will generally come over the top.

But, that's not the end of it...

Embarrassingly recently (about 5 years ago?), I was using a bathroom, had to change the roll and realized that, due tho the proximity of the roll holder to the stool, it only made sense to hang it in the style of my wife instead of the style of the European hotel where I'd learned my craft.

I had a good laugh.

What is probably true is that my wife learned her paper roll changing skills from those who had such dispensers and that was why it was so important that she was "right" in her perspective.

My wife and I may never, in this lifetime, fully discuss this matter.  It's almost ceratin that we'll never agree.

It's important, only for me, that we are both right on this small thing.

5 comments:

Julie said...

As a former "right-fighter" who still struggles with this occassionally, I haffta tell you, I wanted to jump in and confirm that YOU were right.
Never occured to me that both people can be right. Loved your post!

One Prayer Girl said...

I guess in the grand scheme of things, it's better to debate the placement of the toilet paper on the holder than a lot of other subjects.

It beats discussing politics, religion, romances, and finances. :)

PG

Mary Christine said...

Probably the reason I am no longer married. I am an "under" who was married to an "over". Or maybe there were other reasons...

Unknown said...

Great post! It is the finer details in life...I am an over TP placer, not under, my husband (current) understands this, it's how I learned to do it from my Euro mom...LOL!

xo G

Syd said...

I am random about it. Sometimes under and sometimes over--whichever way the blasted thing goes on is okay with me. But I have learned to put the toilet seat down over many years.