He Just Won't Wipe

Okay, don't let the headline scare you away. This will actually make sense. Last night I wandered into the bedroom to brush my teeth and prepare for bed when I happened a glance into the toilet. I was greeted with an image that I'll simply leave to your imagination but suffice it to say that it aligns itself with a number slightly more than "one". I recalled, at this pivotal moment, Tyler running into the living room after he'd been put to bed in order to inform us of his need to "go potty". (By the way, that's one of the key elements to knowing you're a parent: using the word "potty") I had thought little of it, and was actually a little proud when he did that as we're still battling with Pull-Ups. His acknowledgement of needing to go while in bed was a good thing. But the picture greeting me in the bowl was not.

Most conspicuous was the lack of any toilet paper floating in the water. I sighed. This, sadly, is not particularly unusual. Tyler has an unfortunate penchant for speeding in and out of the bathroom without stopping for that critical moment of clean-up. It's a difficult thing for us to deal with as parents but, we're dealing. I shook my head, flushed the toilet, and headed to bed.

Later, though, as I lay there, I began to think a bit about that situation. Why does Tyler have a problem with doing that? Is it just, well, gross, to him? I could see that. Truthfully, are any of us particularly jazzed about that act? Sure, it's necessary but it's really not all that, exciting. It's a dirty, nasty job, but as the old adage goes, somebody's got to do it. Hmmm.

Sometimes I think my life is like this. I am not one to shy away from a tough job, but sometimes I don't want to get down in the muck and mire. Even more so, as I wrestle with reimagining issues of theology and apply them to life, I see myself compelled to dip down into the muck of society, to associate with those that I don't see eye to eye with, and whose lives are, at least seemingly, different than mine. Truthfully, one of the toughest areas for me to deal with this as of late has been in my interactions with fellow Christians, especially at church. It's ironic, really, that having grown up in church I now feel more an outsider than before. I'm not really sure how to deal with it but, the one thing I feel certain of, is that I'm going to have to dig in and grin and bear it. I love the Church, but sometimes the people that are part of it drive me crazy. Either way, I'm taking along a lot of Charmin.