metaphorically cleaning

For the past few Mom Muses, I’ve tried my best to be poetic, inspirational, poignant even. I’ve attempted to gift you my mother’s wisdom like an intricately wrapped Christmas present. 

This article will not be like that. It’s about cleaning, and Kim’s hot take is this: “There is nothing romantic about cleaning! It’s just a thing we must do. Do it and get back to your life.” 

I could do a whole thing about “cleanliness is next to godliness,” or “a clean home is a happy home.” I could tell you all about how mom used to clean the entire house every Saturday and how awkward it was to watch One Saturday Morning while she vacuumed around you. But no, mom insists there’s no wisdom to be found there. She’s adamant that all you need to know is this: 

Dawn Dishwashing Soap. 

That’s it. She claims it will clean everything. If you have nothing else but Dawn Dishwashing Soap, you can still clean the entire house. 

She says it even gets stains out of clothes before you throw them in the wash, for which she cites her hard-earned authority as a softball and baseball mom. 

I could say that Dawn Dishwashing Soap was another way in which Mom demonstrated her love for us. But if I did that, she would roll her eyes. 

Sometimes there is no metaphor. Soap scum isn’t a year’s worth of struggle and anxiety and growth and hard lessons, to be wiped clean by the love of a mother. 

It’s just soap scum.