The plumber knocks on the door. He’s arrived to fix your struggling toilet that’s been choking down potable water and 8am coffee dumps its entire life. Today it has had enough. The plumbing can take no more. The plumber needs to be let inside the house. He must save the toilet. He must clear the pipes.
Would you stop him? Of course not. But…
What if the toilet was framed by your dirty magazines, covered in your hair, bottles, and last night’s outfit? To the plumber the bathroom will reveal your overall level of cleanliness. The plumber will see the space where we might be most true to ourselves.
The Bat Cave
Who enters the bathroom does not leave the same. It is where we put on, or take off our mask. It’s where you shower off the day and put on a fresh skin suit. It’s where your last meal is unloaded. It’s where we Tinder. It’s where we apply for jobs on LinkedIn. It’s where we Snap.
In this sanctuary adorned by a porcelain throne, no one can intrude.
The bathroom is the bat cave: Sometimes we enter as Bruce, other times as the Dark Knight.
What’s important is not which character enters or exits, it’s remembering: “It’s not who I am underneath, but what I do that defines me.”
Next time you’re leaving the bathroom, remember this scene as the toilet calls to you:
Clean and Open House
If we let a stranger into our bathroom sanctuary what a crisis that might create.
No one is allowed to see that.
After returning home after an extended time away have you ever noticed how your home space looks different? We adjust to our environment. Our brain turns off the initial oohs and ahhs of our pimp palaces. A white cubicle, or a billion dollar castle; after awhile the novelty fades.
And we can forget about ourselves in the same way.
To remember how great we are, it’s good to step outside. If the pipes are clogged, it’s probably time to call the plumber.
If you’re hiding in your house, perhaps it’s time to step into a fearless vulnerability by hosting an open house of You.
It could be a new relationship, taking a trip, a haircut, or cleaning the bathroom. As I like to say:
“Fresh eyes reveal the surprise.”
Sometimes we have to let people in so that they can help us clear ourselves out. When we see our mess, it is easier to identify what needs cleaned, and to come to a more cohesive version of ourselves.
Yes, there are times when we must show people the door, for they’ve overstepped boundaries, left dishes in the sink, crumbs on the sheets, and fostered a stray cat.
We will expand in this world in direct proportion to how much of ourselves we let shine through.
That is, how much of your true self do you leave the bathroom with every day?
I’m having an open house today. Let me know if you want to stop by.