Putting My Foot In It

Eden had a practice session with her accompanist this morning. I had to take Jordan along as he has been showing signs of separation anxiety lately, and it’s just easier on everyone to keep him with me.


Besides being a nice person, and a very good pianist, the accompanist is also one of those Highly Organized and Efficient people. Extremely well-groomed, not a hair out of place, a spotless home, on top of everything… sort of the opposite of me… She has two daughters, who are both high achievers, and she also has two dogs – Maltese Poodles, who are extremely clean (and well-groomed too!)

I always feel a bit out of place and intimidated in the company of people like this. Probably because I usually have a toddler or preschooler tagging along, and my poor befuddled brain just manages to stay afloat in the sea of appointments, lessons, rehearsals, performances and other things common to this time of year. I don’t have time (or imagination) for fancy hairstyles, and dealing with preschoolers and toddlers isn’t conducive to smart dressing either.

Anyway, the rehearsal was going well, and Jordan was behaving himself. I had to use the bathroom though, and of course had to take Jordan with me. It was while I was in there (seated) that I noticed that one of the little dogs had left a calling card on the bathroom mat… the mat was dark blue, and it wasn’t very noticeable! I maybe should have done my good deed for the day, and disposed of it for the woman (I would have saved myself a lot of bother!) but I was too busy trying to keep Jordan quiet. Jordan has developed a phobia of bathrooms and toilets – especially public ones! He starts crying the minute we go into the toilets at church. He has quite a bellow on him, and I didn’t want him to start yelling loudly, in case he disturbed the Good Musical Work going on outside the bathroom. So I forgot what was on the bath mat… and it was right in front of the basin…... soooooo, it was Me and a Roll of Loo Paper!!

To look on the bright side, I didn’t walk any into the mat at all!! It was all over the tiles, which made it easier to clean up. And I thankfully noticed it before exiting the bathroom, thus saving myself terrible embarrassment had I walked it all over the clean and well-kept home, as well as sparing my daughter from deep humiliation (and possible lifelong psychological scarring…)

Luckily everyone else was too busy playing to notice my extended absence, and as Eden admitted later, she thought I was changing Jordan’s nappy, so wasn’t at all concerned. I just don’t feel so kindly towards dogs right now - no matter how well-groomed they look!