Unappreciated Virtures

Just when I tell a few people about this blog, I go on hiatius for a month. I will make some posts and get back in business.

I can often tell when someone else has been driving my car. There are a lot of clues. For example, if one of the cup holders is left open, someone else has been using my car. I always put the windshield sun shade up a specific way with one side in front of the other and each of the pieces having a unique orientation.

Also, if the air conditioning is left on or at a different combination of hot/cold and vents, the radio is left on, the radio is on a different station, or the CD is on a different track, someone has been driving my car. If all of the above are out of place, my Dad was the one driving.

Whenever I use someone else's car, I minimize the signs of my presence. If I turn the radio on I will put it back to the station I found it on. I have a habit of leaving things the way I found them.

This habit of mine extends beyond cars. By looking in the liquor cabinet at home I can often tell what drink my Dad made the night before. Whenever I mix a drink, I put the bottles back in the same places as before and tighten the tops; my Dad does neither of these things.

This has led me to wonder, where did I pick up this habit of leaving things the way I found them? It certainty was not from my Dad or brother. The best I can think of is at some point I wanted to leave no trace of what I did. I liked what I was doing so I kept it up. I think returning things to the way they were found is an unappreciated virtue.

One exception to this is leaving a place better than I found it. For example, if I am using a restroom and there is a used paper towel next to the sink, I will throw it away.