Under the Bed
My mother was a rare creature…and a smart one. While a woman of the 1950’s and 60’s, she was coiffed to the hilt, started and maintained a rambunctious family, participated in service projects and worked full-time without the help of her extended family and parents nearby. She did everything she was supposed to do and always seemed to be on top of her “should-do” list. Even for the holidays, she appeared to be ready for any possible mishap, misstep or misanthrope (Dad was the Scrooge/misanthrope).
It’s the upcoming holidays that I’m thinking of when I mention her today. Yes, I know you’re saying, “But that’s not for 3-4 more months!” Well, in my mother’s playbook, she was always ready, even 4-months-out. Mom had a stash of gifts under the bed for emergencies. Her Christmas shopping was completed before we returned to school in September. When Labor Day came, not only did she put away our white summer clothes, she was DONE with all the holiday purchases, except for the turkey and food items.
I used to love to follow her into the bedroom where she kept her emergency stash of gifts for those times when she and Dad were invited to a birthday gathering at the last minute, or one of us kids needed a gift for a teacher, sick friend or classmate. She gathered soaps, scarves, books, crayons, art supplies, stationary, frames, desk sets, playing cards and small artifacts of all kinds…You just never knew what you were going to find. That cardboard box under her bed was a treasure chest!
Of course, the one fond memory, which is pertinent to me now is that I adored the incredible waft of air that came from lifting that box top because the perfumed soaps always gave off the dreamy scent of roses, lilacs, lavender and bouquets that I didn’t have names for yet. I think of this when I go into my own basement where Do Good Soaps and Suds bars are curing, and I wish that my mom was around to enjoy the delicious smells.
The good thing is that I inherited my mother’s love of being ready for the unexpected and for the holidays. I’ve got several shopping bags of gift items (no under the bed box) in our guest bedroom ready for new homes and hands. That closet is also filled with curing soaps and lotions, so my gift options are endless really!
I’d like to think that if mother were alive today, she’d stock loads of Do Good lotions, balms, soaps and bars for those special times when she needs a quick gift.
Be like my Mom, get your holiday gifts early and keep some extra Do Good Soaps and Suds potions/sundries under your bed and in your closet for merry gift-giving. You never know when you'll need that special and unique something...especially that something that is yummy and plastic-free!
P.S. Don't forget to follow Do Good Soaps and Suds on Instagram. There's always some nugget of information about the planet, reduced-waste living or a promotional offer that you'll miss if you don't follow! @DoGoodSoapsAndSuds
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Lee Ann Hopkins
Author
Chief soapologist and lover of all-things-Do-Good, especially those souls who cherish the earth and do their best to protect it.