Why doesn’t soap lather right away? Has soap ever started working at the very moment you needed it? For me it hasn’t. I always have to convince soap to get its ass in gear and bargain by allowing playtime with that pesky friend hot water first. And often I get stuck doing the heavy lifting – even though it’s soap’s job to lather, I have to do 2 or 3 pre-rubbins before soap is willing to do anything!
As I see it, a bar of soap’s got one job to do – lather up. In the past, I’ve been frustrated by its sluggishness. But today I became more forgiving. I had a revelation. You see, soap is just like … well…just like you and me.
Just like us, soap’s got a job to do. But soap isn’t passionate about it. Soap’s tired of doing the same thing over and over. Soap needs variety and inspiration. Soap would prefer to sleep in, and soap really doesn’t want to work weekends.
And just like us, soap’s not ready to work right away. Sure, soap appeared ready to go and was in the right spot, but maybe soap was checking email. Maybe soap had bills to pay or coffee to drink. Maybe soap reflected on its feelings, or read the news, or donated to a charity, or tried to sneak in a nap sitting up. Maybe soap was hungover, or hungry, or hunted down by a cheetah last night. We can’t know for sure.
Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying soap isn’t accountable. I’m just saying maybe we should think about how much we all have in common. Maybe we should be more forgiving of the shortcomings of soap. We’re in this together, you know. It’s one world…and a clean one, I hope.
