A Heavy Duty Homage To My Brother Ryan

One time my brother Ryan mentioned that he read a novel cover to cover while sitting on the toilet. I hope it was over several sittings. This always struck me as funny, magazines are common but a whole novel was ...well, a novel idea.


So last year when Ryan gave me a book for my birthday, Uncle John's Heavy Duty Bathroom Reader by The Bathroom Readers' Institute, I knew there was only one place for me to sit down and read it.


Bathroom time has never been the same. Ryan's gift was more than the book, it's been a movement from flushing down wasted time staring at the wall, to embracing this gift of uninterrupted time. 


In one year I have read 1,993 pages from 6.5 books, an average of 5.5 pages a day ...on the can! To the uninitiated this is an amazing gift of time.

A 2007 Associated Press-Ipsos poll reported that in the prior year, 27% of Americans had not read a single book, while 73% had. Of the respondents who reported having read a book, the mean was 6.5 books per year. 

Percentage breakdown summary:

1 to 5 books 41%

6 to 15 books 31%

More than 15 books 27%

Fortunately none of my books were a crappy read, a few were even quite moving (horrible puns, I know). Sometimes I was tempted to keep reading after the flush. (TMI?)

All the books were non-fiction, two were humourous, one was opinion based, but all I might never have read as most were gifts. The only book that wasn't a gift was Victor Frankl's Man's Search For Meaning, I bought it years ago but never tackled it. 

In the past few days I was given more books, some may journey with me into the b̶o̶o̶k̶r̶o̶o̶m bathroom, others may be spared.

Thank you Ryan for not only the gift of a book, but for sharing the gift of stolen time!