Monthly Archives: February 2015

The world is all a buzz about this stupid dress. Is it blue and black or white and gold?

Wanna know my opinion?

I think it’s a distraction from something bigger. Someone’s attempting to cover up a bigger issue by spreading this silly debate across the country. Or maybe not. Maybe it’s just a silly debate that’s caught on like wild fire. Who knows?

My brain automatically sees it as a cover up or a government conspiracy.

See, my Jayson was one of those and I think his skepticism rubbed off on me a bit. He was ready for the apocalypse, government takeover, the zombies, ect. He “trained” with a group of men one weekend a month in the art of all things tactical. He learned first responder techniques (and frequently practiced them on the girls and I), he had enough ammo to pay off our house (maybe), and spent evenings cleaning his guns and showing our daughter proper care and caution of firearms from the time she was about 4. He also had a “bug out” plan. In the event of a  government take over, we were to leave town with friends and head to an undisclosed location where we’d be safe. He did not, however, stockpile drums of MRE’s and flares, which he always reminded me we needed. He also insisted I learned to shoot even though I fought it.

I remember one particular conversation when I asked why he thought all this was necessary. He wanted to be prepared for the days of tribulations after the rapture if it came in our lifetime. I told him I was planning to be called home at that time. He was just planning on being left behind to help nonbelievers believe and fight with the Lords army.

He was a much better person than I. But, that was J,  always willing to stand up for those in need and always happy to share his faith. He lead more people to Christ just because he genuinely cared. That was his life’s purpose. I find that pretty amazing. He was a good man. I miss him and all his crazy theories.

And, for the record, I’m pretty sure he would have seen the dress as black and blue.

Kelly

Did you ever watch the show Mama’s Family? One episode has always stood out to me. Remember the one where they are robbed by the “Cleaning Bandit” and he turned the toilet tissue the “right” way where it’s running over the top of the roll? You probably don’t, but that stuck with me.

Why does it matter?

Fast forward many, many years to my marriage.

Jayson didn’t obsess over much. He was perfectly fine with throwing all his clean clothes in a pile on his side of the bed. He’d happily search through said pile daily for clean underwear and matching socks. He never complained (although it drove me nuts). This was totally normal to him.

When it came to the trash, he had the same motto as in college “he who maketh it topple over, taketh it out.” He quickly learned however, that the trash was “man’s work” because I refused to change the bag and he would gripe that I stuffed it too full. (I not so secretly did this to get back at him for the clothes.)

And then there were dishes. He maybe did the dishes 5-10 times in our entire 10 years of marriage. He wasn’t concerned with the state of the sink. There were more pressing matter’s to attend to such as swinging a golf club at nothing in the back yard.

You know, the important stuff….

Then, there was the ever present struggle of properly replacing the toilet paper. Now THAT got under his skin. He was an “over the top” guy and I am a “just replace the stupid thing” girl.

How we were married 10 whole years is beyond comprehension? But, somehow, we persevered.

If the roll ran out on his watch, he’d replace it the “correct” way. If it ran out on my watch, I’d replace it how it fell, he’d change it, then exclaim through the house “is it really that hard to put the toilet paper on the right way!?”

It was an ongoing struggle filled with internet memes, pictures, jokes and documentaries on properly replacing toilet paper. (Well, actually not that last one. But I did recieve many instructional lectures on the subject.) This was serious business to J. And well, I cared more about annoying him. It was just so much fun to watch him get so riled up over the state of his toilet paper.

Am I mean? Maybe. But it was fun.

I never understood why this direction of the toilet paper got him so worked up. Maybe it was because he spent so much time in the bathroom. Who knows. I do know, however, that I think about him every time I see a roll of toilet paper the “wrong” way and remember how much it irritated him when I purposely hung it that way.

Hope this post put a smile on your face and inspires you to be more playful in your relationships and less worried about the silly stuff!

Kelly