Metaphoric Dish Soap
So I ran out of dish soap the other week. While this would normally necessitate a quick trip to the local Duane Reade to pick up some more, it actually became cause for contemplation.You see, I have had that dish soap since I moved into my apartment. Four years this dish soap lasted - and yes it was a large container lest you think I eat off of dirty dishes. But then I got to thinking “that dish soap has seen a lot of interesting events.” That large plastic jar of Palmolive Green Tea scented soap had seen my apartment when there was but one fork and knife, gone through my entire relationship with Nam Hee, witnessed my cat double in age and had a former college professor knock it over as she was pushed up against the sink. That Palmolive has seen at least 50 different people come and go in my apartment – friends, lovers, neighbors, acquaintances, co-workers and indeed several strangers.
So as I bought new dish soap, I got to thinking how much my life has changed in that apartment in four years. I remember absently washing dishes the night my grandfather passed away, washing out tela’s new bowl for dry food I bought three years ago and many other random snapshots of my life at the sink. Then I also got to thinking that I should stop using so many paper plates and start eating off of real plates a lot more and just wash more dishes.
More importantly, its crucial to realize that no soap can clean memories that are sad, dirty or otherwise somehow tainted. Thankfully, at least you can have clean dishes (and moisturized hands) as you recall these thoughts and experiences.
posted by UpperWestSideGuy @ 5:30 PM
0 comments
