Today I want to share a lesson I’ve learned since moving in with Dave and his family: Every bathroom needs a locked door.
I know, I know. That seems like common sense. But just in case you were thinking of moving into a house without, let me tell you from experience that it is not a good idea.
Up until last week, I lived in a house with no bathroom lock. And the only reason that changed was due to my multiple traumatic run-ins with other members of Dave’s family. Let me explain.
Dave’s house has one bathroom. This bathroom has no lock. It has a thin rectangular window above the door which is helpful in determining if the light is on, but that’s it. And it’s generally left shut even when no one is using it because they don’t want the bird to fly in there and shit everywhere or fly out one of the windows that are usually cracked open.
Since moving in, I’ve used four main indicators to determine whether or not it’s safe for me to enter the bathroom:
- Is the door open or shut? It’s typically shut, but if it’s open I can generally assume that it’s empty.
- Is the light on or off? If it’s on, someone is likely to be in there.
- Do I hear anything? Obviously if there’s water running then I should come back at a later time.
- Does anyone respond to my knock? If no one does, the coast should be clear.
Of course, things are never that easy though.
Continue reading “Lesson of the day: Every bathroom needs a locked door.”
