Marriage Changes, Part 1 – The Bathroom

I finally took the plunge with my girlfriend of ten years. And while movies and books prefer to focus on the blissful items of a marriage, the reality is that a lot of changes, some funny and some not so funny, take place.

Take bathroom as an example; when I was single, it was one of the few places that was immune to the mess I wallow in. My bed, cabinets, and even night table look like a tornado hit it, but my bathroom was always remained orderly.

But after getting married, the exact opposite has happened. Now my bed, cabinets, and night table look like they come straight out of a magazine. And it is my bathroom that looks like it was hit by a Signal Number Four Typhoon.

Soap

I used to have a bar of soap, a small bottle of shampoo, and a tube of toothpaste as implements of my personal hygiene. But the day my new bride moved in, it looks more like a grocery store than a bathroom.

When I walked into my bathroom, there was soap for the face, soap for the hands, and soap for the body. Heck, there was even soap for one’s private parts in the corner where my toothbrush used to stand.

[How much soap do women need anyway?]

Another thing I don’t understand is women’s love affair with liquid soap because it just feels weird in the hand being a cross between slimy and oily. Not only that but it sticks to the skin long after I turn off the water.

After one week of squeezing soap out of a bottle, I finally walked over to the nearest sari-sari, or convenience, store to get myself a nice solid bar of soap.

Shampoo

When I was still single, I only had one bottle of shampoo in my bathroom. It was usually the biggest bottle I picked up at the grocery without even thinking of the brand.

The only time I really needed to think about it was when I had to get an anti-dandruff shampoo. And even when I did get that, brands or types weren’t an issue for me. Not only that, but I always used up my old bottle of shampoo first.

When I took a shower the other day, I found three bottles sitting on the sink. One was a shampoo for damaged hair. The second was a conditioner. While the third was an anti-dandruff shampoo that is supposed to be so gentle on the hair, I wonder how it actually cleans.

[Have you ever noticed that all these shampoos come in an assortment of scents with fluffy names?]

After using them for a week, I started feeling like a walking vase of flowers. Even my dog would wrinkle his nose when I passed him by. Needless to say, I couldn’t take it anymore and included it in my to-buy list for lunch yesterday.

Hair

I’ve never had a problem with hair fall, at least not in a major way. Yes, I’d see a few strands on my comb, especially on a bad hair day, but that was it. And to take care of all that unruly hair, I had one long comb in the bathroom and one short one in my back pocket.

Now that I’m married, I am still surprised to see so many brushes in one place and owned by one person. I can understand two, but four or six brushes are more than I can fathom.

[How many hair brushes does one woman need anyway?]

Not only that, but I see hair all over the place. There are strands on the dresser, the bed, the couch, the sink, the shower drain, and even in the car. Not even my dog sheds that much hair so I find it miraculous that my wife isn’t bald yet.

I actually thought that all those specialized shampoos would keep hair from falling, but it looks like all those commercials are false. Yet, women keep buying them by the truckload

After discussing my concern of all this hair with my wife, she told me that her hair fall is normal. It just looks plentiful because the hair strands I come across are a lot longer than my own.

Anyway, I thought of buying a portable vacuum cleaner to get rid of all that hair. But after observing things for a few more days, decided against it The conclusion I have made is that if I were to run the vacuum cleaner on a daily basis, I’d probably turn deaf from all that noise.

To preserve my hearing, I just added trash cans around the house and make it a habit to toss any stray strands I come across them.

Final Thoughts

It took me ten years to finally take the plunge by getting married. And while there are some things I need to get used to, I have never regretted it.

My purpose for this article is not to dissuade those of you planning to take the plunge. Rather, I want share the other less discussed items of marriage so you know you’re getting in to.

Realistically, marriage is not only about the bliss, good times, and intimacy; it also about making adjustments, compromises, and sacrifices. At the very least, both of you will become better persons because of all these changes.

[Look at me; even I learned a thing or two, like picking up hair.]

I guess what I am trying to say is that the items you see above are really very minor. These are small things that many of us need to adjust to. And being small, I suggest treating them that way, which is not to take them too seriously. There will be other things you have to deal with as a couple so save your strength for those times.

And while you’re at it, make sure to enjoy yourself because that’s what marriage is really all about.

[Mabuhay and bagong kasal!]