Leaving the Seat Up
Jason Hewlett, CSP, CPAE
Hall of Fame Keynote Speaker * Author * Award-Winning Entertainer * President of Cardio Miracle - The World’s #1 All-in-One Nitric Oxide Health Supplement Daily Drink
My wife has been gone for a week.
I miss her.
The kids miss her.
The dog Goldie misses Mommy so much I found her hitchhiking to find a new family.
On the second day as we all came around to the reality of Mommy is actually gone, the cereal ran low (since that's all I know how to make), and the lawn started to die (since she programs the sprinklers and I can't find the panel), I wiped the tears away as I sent each child to school.
Not their tears - mine.
And the dog's.
The house quiet, I went to the restroom and realized as I walked out:
I set the seat down!
Hmm.
For what purpose?
She's not here. No reason to do that now.
I went back into the restroom and defiantly put the seat up!
Kind of silly, but it felt liberating, and a little rebellious.
No seat in this house remains up, but now the master bedroom restroom gets the bachelor pad experience.
Proudly, I returned to my office and began to work.
Devoutly, I pressed forth and could make little progress.
Oddly, I could not stop thinking about what I had done!
Less than 3 feet from me, through the wall, sat a toilet seat with the lid up, and I couldn't work.
I couldn't think of anything else!
It was 9 AM and the soonest a child would return home would be 3 PM, and yet even they would never know.
By 9:45 AM the torture was too much.
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I returned to the restroom, and upon seeing the toilet seat up, I rushed in to save it, replacing it back to home base, it's rightful place, it's destiny.
Setting the seat down, the home felt complete again, the universe and order restored.
I expected to see my wife rushing in and surprising me, saying I'd passed the test, cutting her trip short, because harmony found in toilet seats down turn planes around.
But she didn't do that, and I'm still here alone, just the kids, the dog, and I.
Yet the seat is down. In it's rightful place. It just seems the best, or only, thing it should do.
This may be among the oddest posts I've ever shared, but it's what this week was: attempting to keep order while the order caretaker is missing.
The Promise is to do our best to keep all things in their rightful state, to ensure habits are heading us in the proper direction, rituals and daily minuscule commonalities create a cumulative moral fortitude of commitment keeping, whether anyone is watching or not.
If the seat's up on the other side of the wall, good luck getting your work done at all...and if it happens to be the seat on your throne, set it down even if you're alone!
Promise kept.
P.S. The kids joined Goldie and are hitchhiking to Burger King.
Not really. But...
Goldie's learned to fend for herself.? The DoorDash guy delivered a dog bone.
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~ Jason Hewlett
Husband, Father, Writer, Mentor, Hiker
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Retired
1 年My wife left for a week plus to visit our daughter and grand daughter. ?I always do a project while she’s gone. ?This time it was adding built in shelves to our pantry. ? Once I painted an accent wall, dark red, which took her a couple days to notice. ?
Freelance Graphic Designer & Art Director
1 年Great little piece, Jason. To me, this is an indication not so much of habit or of being well-trained, but of finding peace by being one with your wife. Leaving the seat up was a small but conscious choice to go against her preferences and left you feeling uneasy. The peace you usually feel from being united with her wasn’t there, and you knew what you had to do to get it back. Once you did, all was well. As I see it, it had nothing to do with whether or not she was there to see it and everything to do with honoring her and being united with her.
Helping Financial Professionals & Companies Attract More Ideal Clients through More Compelling Value, Referrals, and Introductions -- Consultant, Coach, Speaker and Podcaster
1 年Jason Hewlett, CSP, CPAE - Like many of us men, you have been trained well.
?? Real estate compliance speaker. Certified Speaking Professional ??CEO ?? Certified ICF Coach | 3x Author ?????Host of Top 10% Global Podcast - "Real Estate Power Playbook" ???I IGNITE elevated performance! ??
1 年Talk about the power of habit!!!!
Heart Attack and Wellness Educator
1 年My challenge is... in the middle of the night when I have to go... I get back into bed and can't remember if i put the seat back down... so I get back up... stumble back into the bathroom and sure enough... the seat was down..... Yaaaaa