The Ceramic Sanitation Specialist Anonymous

Since I was three, I have enjoyed the most tedious activity known to man. If one were to peruse old family photos, one would likely find me standing atop a stool—favorite Scotch-Brite sponge in hand—washing dishes.

While my parents have allowed for the eccentric quirks of their eldest son and my friends have viewed me with amused stupefaction, I too have often wondered about the origins of my fondness for dishwashing. Dishwashing has an ineffable quality to it which, although hard to pin down, keeps me coming back to the sink no matter the occasion. Perhaps it is the soothing scent of peppermint from Ultra Joy’s dishwashing liquid, a family favorite. Or perhaps it is the onset of warm, comforting water that signals the beginning of a blank slate, one in which anxieties and distractions are all but swept away by the playing of Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata.

These attractions, however, merely dwell on the surface of my peculiar love for dishwashing. The true allure of dishwashing comes to me in many other ways. It comes from the appreciation reflected in the eyes of those around me when I happily volunteer to do what others think of as a chore. It comes from a familiar rhythm, one that allows my thoughts to flow without hindrance...