tri-coloured foam

How do you know what exactly the tricoloured foam in the carwash is supposed to do, and how do you know if it actually doing this? Finally washed the dirty filthy environmentally friendly car that is my second hand Prius today. It was looking sad. (there I go anthropomorphising my car again). It had been so long since I had washed my car, I actually sprung for the "full-meal deal" of car washes.... the "ULTRA". Now, don't you go asking why any self-respecting environmentally oriented individual would head to the car wash instead of WASHING THE CAR BY HERSELF, I just did. Maybe it was the sprained ankle, the shortage of time, that fact that I almost always do it...

Ok, less self-indulgent guilt and back to the point... this stuff does what..?? exactly that ordinary foam doesn't do? The only thing I can think of is that is comes with the undercarriage and side panel spray. Any other reason for it's existence would be purely speculative. Although there is some info online about it being some type of extra protective wax/polish, why does it need to be dyed like an Easter egg? My bet is that it is all smoke and mirrors. Makes the kids in the car say "wow"... you could even get them excited!!... "Watch for it kids... here it comes!!! OOOooooh!" Great, $2 extra for 15 seconds of entertainment for the kids.

So, before you come to the conclusion that this blog today is only a rant, I am hunting for the meaning behind this pathetic experience of mine today. It is important to find out what you are paying for, the bang for your buck. To me, it was just a passing whim, something that I thought might extend the life of the black paint job on my car (oh, I am soooo over black). But to someone else it could have been dinner. (not the foam, the $2 could have paid for dinner, silly). So, next time I'll try to resist the temptation to carwash, and instead, wash it myself or politely badger my son into doing it for me. And spend the money on something useful, not just colour for the foam. Hey, I  have an idea! What if everyone took that extra $2 and did something really important with it? Buy a sandwich for someone asking for a handout on the street....( no, that would be 4 car washes). But better yet, how about donating the money you were going to spend on something that is only appearance focused... like your next tube of mascara, or plastic surgical intervention? Probably 10 kids in an undeveloped nation could their cleft palates fixed. (donate to OperationSmile). Your local food bank could sure the money. The list goes on. Do. Some. Good.

unfair

How many times do you have to relearn that life is not fair, before you finally learn it? Well, for me, this is a harder concept than I thought. Here I am again, being hit upside the face with the cataclysmic realisation that good does not always triumph over evil, that bad things happen to good people and thoughtful, compassionate, research informed planning does not always prevail over career building, power mongering, ill-thought out and poorly conceived "models of care".

Ironically, I thought it was quite important that my kids learn early that life was not fair. I didn't belabour the point, but as they were fairly privileged in their early lives, I recall trying to find "teachable moments" (the parenting buzzword of the decade my kids were born). No sense in having your kids hit the world in their mid-teens thinking that life was going to be fair. Better that they have parental support to recover from their disillusionment, rather than the cruel taunting of peers.

So, what to do, what to do? Avoid life by hiding in your bedroom with PVRed reruns of Oprah, tea and a fluffy kitten? No, get out there and take risks, have adventure, love deeply, live for the moment...THEN go back to your bedroom to recoup. After all, we do need to have ways to unwind and self-soothe after facing the vicissitudes of the world. Rest. Breathe. Cuz... shit. just. happens.












Shit. Just. Happens.