A Tale of Two Bathrooms

Sometimes when life is at its busiest and you think to yourself, "I cannot add one more thing to my life or I will lose my mind," life decides to hand you one more thing and opens the door to your padded cell and smiles. I consider myself a veteran of plumbing issues. We just recently finished a 5 month campaign against a leaky pipe in our guest bathroom and after much battle with it, we came out the other side victorious. Then, the enemy launched its second attack. While I was lulled into relaxation with my favorite television show, the sewer decided to back up INTO my house. I noticed, while I sipped coffee and chatted with some friends, that there was a vile smell somewhere in my house. I went to the bathroom and low and behold, a visible POOL of water was in my bathroom and my guest bathroom. Towels and rags were my only weapon against the onslaught of water. My nose was the first casualty in the battle because the smell was so awful. Soon I ran out of "yuck" towels to use and had to sacrifice the good towels and even the bathroom rugs. At the end of the evening, I have to say the bathroom got that victory. I was sitting on the floor of my bedroom, a sopping bucket of sewer towels next to me, company that could not use their bathroom, and tears running down my face.

I think sometimes we forget that this life is hard. I know that as a teen and even a college student I had this twisted view that life, somehow, for me was going to be so easy and that this whole "marriage thing" cannot be as hard as the books tell me it is. IT IS HARD. Life is a struggle...it has lots of joys and laughs...but it is a struggle none the less. Sometimes when I think of the first woman Eve and how AWESOME life must have been before sewers, laundry, the flu, allergies, house fires, income taxes, and grocery bills. What a joy it must have been to simply spend every minute with the perfect man in a perfect paradise and live in perfect harmony. It is hard not to be jealous of that.

Yet, by the same account, while marriage and life is hard...it is oh so wonderful. I recall a particular instance the other day. Ryan had a crisis with something he was doing and he called me in (after my own long day) to help him solve the problem. We rolled up our sleeves and TOGETHER we solved the problem. I was so pumped when it was over. That is what it is all about. Real love, real partners are there to carry the heavy laundry bucket when the sewer backs up. Real love gives you a hug and dries your tears even though your hands are dirty, your clothes are wet, and you are irrational with worry. Real love camps out in the living room with you when you feel sick. Real love laughs with you, cries with you, and loves you always. I am glad that in this life that is oh so difficult, I found that real love.