Spring has Sprung, Love is in the Air

Spring has sprung and thoughts of love rise eternal.  But not so fast here, there is a deeper, more profound way to measure if your relationship is up to snuff and going to endure the test of time.  After the fireworks subside, the romantic rendezvous dwindle and the rubber hits the road, the tough questions have to be asked to see if the “happily ever after” part is in your future.  These inquiries are not meant to be interrogative, rather a starting point for discussion for the betterment in your livelong goal of contentment and bliss. 

The first and perhaps toughest to ask is whether the toilet seat stays up or gets put down.  There is much debate shrouding this topic but there is really no right answer, you must find what works best for you and your loved one.  The resolution becomes clearer if you keep in mind when answering that there is a chance of a 3AM bathroom visit, too quickly to turn on lights or open your eyes completely.  This is also a life habit you pass on to your children… put thought into your family life-style decision of up or down, be consistent in the commitment and know their lives will be more enriched with this knowledge.

Another make or breaker is the determination of how the toilet paper roll will unwind.  It is hard to believe that some people don’t care about this controversial topic, you should.  I personally am a “paper over” unwinder where my love muffin started out as a “however it got put on the holder” type.  Fortunately, he saw the light and quickly changed his way.  Again, no right or wrong answer here, it is just better to be on the same wavelength and know that along with this is the reality that when a roll goes empty someone (sooner or later) does have to replace it and it is just easier to know the proper protocol.

Are you a “roller up from the bottom” or a “squeeze in the middle” type? To eliminate this question all together is just to buy two tubes of toothpaste and forget about it.  If that is too easy and you want to have some fun, go with one tube and squeeze if the other rolls and watch how your partner responds.  After 15 years of togetherness with my manly-man this is still one of my favorite subliminal fun mind tricks to play with him.

Bar or liquid soap? I never really thought about this until one day a discussion with a well-versed woman brought up several issues of the sharing of shower soap (how this conversation started, I don’t quite recall and it is probably better I don’t).  It was an epiphany of sorts and I scurried out to buy liquid soap to sit along side of the bar.  With this solution came a sort of calmness and tranquility that comes only with deep knowledge and understanding of the issue. 

These questions have been around since Adam and Eve realized that to live together the hard-hitting topics could not be averted and had to be answered head on.  Knowing who decided that couples need to share everything, including bathroom privileges, would be getting to the real core.  Brushing teeth together looses something in the translation in about year three of the relationship and alternating between soft mist and pulsating showerhead action becomes droning.  There is something to be said for privacy, separate bathrooms and the joy of squeezing in the middle ‘til your heart’s content without an ever-watchful eye evaluating.  Viva la différence! and live happily ever after.

Cynthia A. McClelland, curious observer of the obvious with interpretations of the oddities of daily life.  Mother, wife and lover of the furry, resides in the north Lake Tahoe area.

Cynthia A. McClelland © 2003-