Toothpaste issues

In aisle 1 at Safeway there are nearly 40 different types of toothpaste and at least two life lessons to be found.

When I was in my early 20s, living in Alaska over 2,000 miles away from my parents, I called them. I was in love, again, and said to my dad, “This could be the one.”

He stated, “Don’t get caught up on toothpaste issues.”

“What are toothpaste issues?” I asked.

First, there are several ways to discharge toothpaste from the tube. Just grab and squeeze, push from the bottom, rolling as you go, or perhaps more from the top. Each way gets the toothpaste out, but some people have a real issue with how you do it.

What is the most important thing — what we do or how we do it?

I was 16 when I got my first job at McDonald’s, which has a procedure for nearly everything. Mustard always goes first, followed by ketchup, a small amount of onions, then one pickle (two if small). Does it taste different if you put ketchup first? The procedure was the procedure, each employee got certified on each task and held accountable to hold to the standard. Just like the Army saying, there are three ways to do something. The right way, the wrong way, and the Army way. It is similar to toilet paper. Over or under. Both ways work, but most folks have a preference.

My dad asked me, “At the end of the day, does it really matter how you squeeze the tube?”

Many tasks require following a step-by-step procedure to insure proper completion. With people, not so cut and dry. There are so many variables and so few constants.

The second life lesson about toothpaste is once it is out of the tube, it is out. You cannot get it back in the tube.

I was scratching my head about this advice at 24. Then my Dad told me, “It has to do with your mouth, once you say something, you can’t get it back.” You can apologize but can never undo the damage. This is so true with our everyday relationships, both personal and professional.

I am so thankful to my parents for sharing and displaying each of these life lessons. Appreciating why they did something instead of focusing on how. Not being afraid to listen with a closed mouth and open mind. Of course, listening is a two-way street and sometimes things are better not even said.

All sounds simple, but I am reminded each time I hold the toothpaste tube how much more I need to improve.

Toothpaste issues are real. Squeeze gently and thoughtfully. Don’t create a big mess that you could spend a lifetime trying to clean up.

John Lester is publisher of the Shelton-Mason County Journal, one of The Nugget’s sister newspapers.