How Are You Going To Apply Toothpaste With One Hand

Applying Toothpaste

Problem

This seems like such an easy task.

It's toothpaste. How hard could it possibly be?

What kept happening was I'd carefully position my toothbrush on the counter, line up the toothpaste tube, and begin squeezing.

The moment the toothpaste started coming out, the toothbrush would roll onto its side.

I would just stand there staring at the toothbrush, letting it know my disappointment.

Why It Matters

On its own, this isn't a big deal.

Nobody's life is ruined because they missed their toothbrush with toothpaste.

The problem is that recovery isn't made up of one big frustration.

It's made up of dozens of tiny frustrations that steal a little patience and require a little extra effort.

And by the end of the day, you're exhausted from solving problems you never had to think about before.

Toothpaste just happened to be one of mine.

Workaround

I found two approaches that worked reasonably well.

Use the Sink

The quickest solution was squeezing a small amount of toothpaste directly onto the sink and then wiping it up with the toothbrush.

Not elegant.

Not glamorous.

But it worked.

The downside is that it adds a little cleanup and assumes your sink is reasonably clean to begin with.

Put the Toothpaste in Your Mouth First

I know.

It sounds strange.

But hear me out.

Instead of trying to put the toothpaste on the brush, squeeze a small amount directly into your mouth and then brush your teeth normally.

The first time I tried this, I felt ridiculous.

The second time I tried it ... I still felt ridiculous.

Eventually I got better at it.

Not my favorite solution, but it worked when I was in a hurry.

Pro-tip, keep your teeth closed when squeeze a little in your mouth. This will help keeping a glob of toothpaste from hitting your tongue in one shot. 

Key Takeaway

Recovery has a funny way of turning ordinary objects into tiny villains.

None of them are particularly difficult on their own.

But together they create a constant stream of little obstacles that can wear you down.

When that happens, give yourself some grace.

You're not failing because something feels harder.

You're adapting to a situation most people never have to think about.

And sometimes adaptation looks a lot less elegant than we'd like.