Toilet Paper
Toilet paper. These days I use it without much thought. I buy the brand I like, toss the big package into a closet and take a few rolls out at a time, as needed. It's quite common to hear "Help!! I need toilet paper" at inconvenient times, but when that happens, I stop what I'm doing and toss a few rolls to the child (or husband) that requested it. I'm sure I also provide some corny "mom jokes" at the same time: "Use it wisely, don't use it all in one place" and give the reminder to flush and wash hands when finished.
It wasn't always like that, especially during my Peace Corps days. During that time, a roll of pink TP that basically fell apart when it got mildly wet was a luxury. I still bought it, knowing my alternatives. Magazine type paper just spreads things around and makes a bigger mess. Newspaper is better, but scratchy. Recycled notebook paper is a little better. Alas, I digress.
Why am I writing about toilet paper, of all things? Last night I opened a new package and put a couple rolls in each bathroom. Soon after, my daughter made a comment about it. "Mom, the toilet paper is weird. The squares are small." I'm thinking, what do you mean? I put a new roll on the dispenser a bit ago. It seemed to fit fine. They were the same mega-sized rolls that claim to be 4x the size of a regular roll, but something WAS different. It felt different as I tore off my squares. There was less mass as I gathered my usual length together. It was emotionally uncomfortable. Upon further investigation, we discovered that in fact, our favorite brand had narrowed their rolls.
So where is the wellness connection in these words about a bathroom hygiene product? It's there- trust me.
I want to use toilet paper. Several times a day, in fact. It's an important part of my life and I notice when it's missing. However, I rarely think about toilet paper beyond whether I need to buy more or to make sure each bathroom has an extra roll. I never really look forward to actually using it. It's just something I do.
I'm also working on some new lifestyle behaviors that are important to me and that I want to become part of my life and notice when they're missing. Something I just do.
The change in the width of toilet paper is inconvenient, uncomfortable, and sometimes a little bit awkward, but that isn't stopping me from using it.
The behaviors I'm working on are sometimes inconvenient, uncomfortable and a little bit awkward, and I don't want to let those things stop me from doing them.
I know that in a short time I'll easily adjust to the change of my wiping-material and that it might take a little longer for the lifestyle behaviors to become habit.
A key component is my mindset. To me, the availability of toilet paper is a necessity. Not negotiable. I would go out at midnight to get more if I ran out. That’s not true. I would send my husband to get it.
I'm thinking about the lifestyle behaviors I'm working on and making them a necessity and non-negotiable, willing to go out of my way to make them happen and modify if necessary. (If we're sticking with the TP connection, this could mean buying a different brand or a smaller package).
The message of this note is this: think of your new behaviors as toilet paper. Not as something to flush, but as a necessary and often overlooked life-luxury. A gift to yourself, if you will. When your favorite brand makes changes, you can go with the changes or try a new brand, because I'm guessing going without TP is not an option most of us would even consider.
Your desired lifestyle habits might not be glamorous or noticed by others or even talked about much in polite company, but they matter and are important to you. When schedules change and motivation dips it is possible to stick with what you are trying to do or try a different "brand" of it. Because once those behaviors become habits, it will be hard to imagine a time without them.
