How Dish Soap Changed My Life
|When I buy utilitarian items like dish soap, I usually search out the most economical, utilitarian, environmentally sustainable product. “You don’t need anything fancy here”, I tell myself, “You just need something to get the job done”. Why? Because I’m saving my money for fun stuff like shoes, movies and trips.
That all changed one day in the grocery aisle. I reached for my usual brand of dish soap when another bottle caught my eye. The retro looking bottle was labelled “aromatherapeutic household products” in my favorite lavender scent. Plus, the bottle was made with recycled materials AND the soap was biodegradable, paraben free and all that stuff. Hmmm.
I said to myself, “Melanie, you do a lot of dishes. More than anyone else in the house. You deserve a this. Congratulations, it’s yours!” And the lavender dish soap went into my cart. I didn’t think anything of it since it was only five bucks. Big deal.
However, the first time I used this soap, I was in dishwashing heaven, if there is such a thing. The sweet scent and luxurious bubbles washed away my momentary grumbling about cleaning another sink full of dishes, AGAIN. This hardworking, homekeeping product elevated dishwashing from a chore to a pleasurable moment with my own thoughts as I scrubbed the pots — aromatherapeutically, the bottle was right!
Lavender dish soap reminds me that true pleasure in life is not always found in the WOW experiences, the big brand purchases, the stunning home renovation, or the dream vacation.
True pleasure is found in the art of the everyday.
We spend hours and hours of our lives cooking, cleaning, shopping, attending to children, friends, family, volunteering — most days our lives feel rather unremarkable.
But, it’s the everyday stuff of life that weaves the tapestry of our lives.
That’s why at Pine View Farms, we believe in the pleasure of good food shared with others and good conversation.
We hope that when you cook Pine View meat, it brings a taste of pleasure to your everyday life, makes a memory, and sustains you physically, emotionally and spiritually. That may be a lot to ask from a humble chicken, but we sincerely believe that eating well nourishes us on many levels.
“One cannot think well, love well, or sleep well, if one has not dined well.” ~ Virginia Woolf
In closing, I’ll leave you with this poem entitled “Three Gratitudes” by Carrie Newcomer found at On Being.
Three Gratitudes ~ by Carrie Newcomer
Every night before I go to sleep
I say out loud
Three things that I’m grateful for,
All the significant, insignificant
Extraordinary, ordinary stuff of my life.
It’s a small practice and humble,
And yet, I find I sleep better
Holding what lightens and softens my life
Ever so briefly at the end of the day.
Sunlight, and blueberries,
Good dogs and wool socks,
A fine rain,
A good friend,
Fresh basil and wild phlox,
My father’s good health,
My daughter’s new job,
The song that always makes me cry,
Always at the same part,
No matter how many times I hear it.
Decent coffee at the airport,
And your quiet breathing,
The stories you told me,
The frost patterns on the windows,
English horns and banjos,
Wood Thrush and June bugs,
The smooth glassy calm of the morning pond,
An old coat,
A new poem,
My library card,
And that my car keeps running
Despite all the miles.
And after three things,
More often than not,
I get on a roll and I just keep on going,
I keep naming and listing,
Until I lie grinning,
Blankets pulled up to my chin,
Awash with wonder
At the sweetness of it all.