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After 24 years of marriage, my husband Patrick did something I'm not sure I can forgive. This will surprise anyone who knows him, since he is almost a saint. He is kind, patient and always willing to sprint the extra marital mile to make me happy.

What could he possibly have done that is unforgivable? Here's what happened.

I was going through the credit card statement and saw a charge for oil-bronzed shower rings. I asked, "Did you order these?" and immediately panicked, thinking we were victims of identity theft. He replied (and I quote), "I made a unilateral decision to buy new rings."

Let me give you some background. Several years ago when we I redecorated the bathroom, I chose a pine theme since we live in a pine forest in the Pine Tree State. I even clean the bathroom with Pine-sol. You can imagine my delight when I found adorable pine cone shower hooks (not rings) to unify the look.

It seems Patrick became exasperated about the way they detach from the rod with everyday use. Unbeknownst to me, he started cruising online bathroom accessory stores to find alternatives.

Since I am shallow, I have tolerated the inconvenience of reinstalling the shower curtain daily. My priority was maintaining a matching motif worthy of the cover of an L.L. Bean home catalog.

You might think I'd applaud Patrick's courage and initiative. But if a butterfly flaps its wings in China and can cause a hurricane in Florida, what tempest could result when a husband starts making unilateral decisions? Decisions that his wife used to make, unilaterally?

If I let him off the hook, will this drop the curtain on our perfectly balanced power distribution? And what other unilateral decisions will he start making?

•Will I find mysterious Victoria's Secret bags in my underwear drawer?

•Will he order MY meal in a restaurant of HIS choice?

• Will he book a vacation?

• Will he dictate our next Netflix series?

• Will he sneak out and buy generic shampoo?

• Will he insist I learn how to barbecue?

I broke into a sweat projecting a future where shared decision-making was the norm and decided to take a shower. I couldn't help but notice that the new shower rings floated effortlessly across the rod. No snags. No hassle.

*sigh* St. Patrick strikes again.

- Molly Stevens

Molly Stevens arrived late to the writing desk, but is forever grateful her second act took this direction instead of adult tricycle racing or hoarding cats. She blogs at www.shallowreflections.com, where she skims over important topics, like her love affair with white potatoes and why she saves user manuals.