April 26th, 2021

(by the way, the photo above is not our bathroom although we do have white tile )

So I'm sitting here this morning, having some cold leftover pizza (breakfast of champions) and part of me is writing this blog and part of me is already lining up the rest of my day and yet another part of my brain (this is how it works for most women by the way) is still kind of reeling from the odd beginning of the day.

I am such a creature of habit. I suppose most of us are.  To be fair, I do know how to roll with changes.  I've had a lot of practice after all.  But I think I am most comfortable when things are if not the same, then similar to the "norm".    This morning was not "normal".

Tim has set up a visit from a gentleman who re-glazes tubs for this morning.  And to that end, late yesterday, I removed all traces of us from our bathroom.   It is currently a hollow echo-y, impersonal, shell. Perfect for our incoming artisan to get the job done.

Temporarily I have set us up in the guest bathroom. So we actually do still have a functional bathroom to use in the interim.  But it's not  our bathroom, the one we usually use.  First of all it's --------------------------------------------------way over on the other side of the house.  Secondly, it's very very very tiny.  Petite perhaps is the better word.  It has everything necessary to get the job done, but only just.  It's so teensy that you have to step outside to change your mind (as the comedian said).  Our stuff is all in different spots than usual.  It's all there, just not in the usual place because the usual places aren't there.  It's sort of like when you go on vacation and you are going to be living in your hotel for a week or two so you set up the bathroom as best you can but it's not exactly right.

Nothing is where it might normally be.  The shower is different, the sink, the towel hangers, the toilet paper spindle!  Nothing is how or where it would usually be.  Have you ever gotten up in the middle of the night in a hotel room to use the bathroom and you don't turn on the light because you are thoughtful and do not want to wake your spouse and you are sleepy coz it's the middle of the the night (as I said) and therefore you might not be particularly clever at that moment.  And first you have to find the dang bathroom in the dark, and then once inside the bathroom you now have to find first the toilet and then the toilet paper, all by feel.  Yeah, it's strange.  It's sort of like that.  Except of course, I suppose since it is on the complete other side of the house I actually could turn the light on, couldn't I?

Anyway, it just feels different, it feels strange, it feels foreign.  But it's ok.  I got the job done.  A few bits were tricky. Finding a way to shave my legs without the usually ledge to prop my foot on was interesting.   Our toothbrushes are in a plastic cup carefully balanced on the side of a very small sink instead of our big beautiful vanity so there is that "Be Very Careful" reminder while taking proper steps to assure good dental health.  I actually just finished up lotion and combing of hair and so forth in the guest bedroom instead of trying to get it all done in the bathroom just for the feeling of space.   And that's different.  Just the travelling from bedroom across the house to shower and then back to the bedroom to dress is kind of funny.

It's a short term issue and it's for a very good cause so I am not honestly complaining. It's more just registering the strangeness of it all.  I am grateful that we have two bathrooms!  I've lived in a lot of houses that had only one bathroom.  And, I remember,  as a child,  my grandparents house before they had indoor plumbing at all!  Yes Virginia, I have used an outhouse. It was an interesting experience and one I hope never to repeat.  

When Tim and I first married we lived in a tiny apartment that had two bedrooms and one bathroom.  We made it work because that's what you do.  But the first order of business as soon as those vows were spoken was to find a house for us because well, that's what we needed.  And the house we found had 3 bedrooms and  1 1/2 bathrooms which, to us, was heaven.  And we quickly adapted.  So much so that I believe I actually said to Tim at one point that never again would I live in a house with only one bathroom.  And we haven't.  In fact, when we moved to Colorado the house we had built had 2 1/2 bathrooms which is kind of silly for 2 people.  We had one more bathroom than resident bottoms!  

And it's not as if we never use the guest bathroom, it does occasionally happen.  Just not often.  It is, after all, the guest bathroom  and as it is literally connected to the guest room, it's kind of out of sight out of mind most of the time.  Tim and I are very good at sharing, at taking turns, at being considerate of one another.  So the vast majority of the time, we just share our bathroom and it works perfectly fine for us.  But every once in along while, a situation arises that makes us grateful to have that second bathroom.  This is one of those occasions.

Anyway, so that's it.  It's been a strange start to the day and the reglazing guy is already 20 minutes late so I'm not sure what that means. He ran into traffic maybe?  But whatever, once he finally arrives, he can get started because we are ready for him.  And the sooner he starts, the sooner he is done and then we can go back to having two bathrooms again.  And that will be a good thing.

I hope you had a great weekend and a less eventful start to your day!