Ep 5: The Toilet - The Day I Used the Backyard Instead of the Bathroom

I was eight years old, home alone, and the toilet had a history. I knew what it was capable of. And when the rumbles in the jungle arrived, I did what any reasonable kid would do — I grabbed the Charmin and I went outside. This is a story about being a latchkey kid, making calls with no manual and no backup, and what happens when the wind picks up right after you think you've handled something. It's also about what my parents did when they came home and found the evidence scattered across the backyard — and why that moment taught me something about self-reliance that I'm still carrying as a dad. No experts. No advice. Just a story about a broken toilet, a bad decision, and the inheritance nobody talks about — the one where you figure it out with whatever's in front of you, and that turns out to be enough. I Took the Long Way is a personal storytelling podcast about life, detours, and somehow still being here to talk about it.