*This is a work of nonfiction based on actual events I experienced firsthand; used with permission.
Have you ever noticed how many different kinds of soap there are at the store? Buying a bar or a bottle of soap has become far more confusing than it has any right to be.
There's a soap with aloe vera, soap with cold cream, scented soap, unscented soap, and herbal-infused soaps. How do you pick the one that makes your hair, face, body, and laundry the best it can be? If only there was one soap that could handle it all. Well, there isn't.
I'm not sure why, but for some reason, I've always had an affinity for soap. It all started when I was a kid. I would sneak out to the store and buy the biggest bar of soap I could find and then hide it in my room. Every day after school, my best friend and I would have a blast playing pranks with it, squishing it against windows, throwing it on walls and ceilings, and leaving it in people's shoes.
It wasn't until much later that I discovered that there were so many other things you could do with soap. You could make bubbles, use soap as a material in craft projects, or even make sculptures out of it. And who can forget those awesome bubble baths?
Mr. Bubble was always my favorite. I can close my eyes and smell it in my mind's eye, or nose, from memory.
Thinking about all these fun activities makes me smile. They certainly helped take my mind off all the troubles of growing up.
Soap has been a part of most of my life. From childhood pranks to creative projects as an adult, no matter what age I am it always seems to bring out the kid in me.
A few years ago, I started making my own soap at home. My favorite soap mold was the large wooden soap mold that made a huge block of soap that had to be cut with a large sharp wooden-handled soap knife.
I added scent, color, and glitter, embedded plastic flowers in bars of soap, and even tried to start a business selling homemade soap on eBay. I failed.
One day, when I was in the thick of my soapmaking hobby, I spotted a box of various soapy supplies for sale on eBay. I wanted it. I knew I had to have it.
"I will be the highest bidder no matter what it takes," I told myself.
There were molds shaped like bats and witches, molds shaped like roses and sunflowers, molds shaped like sailboats, and even molds shaped like motorcycles. The package also included blocks of soap, coloring, and biodegradable glitter.
The bid was fairly low, so I threw my hat in the ring at the next highest price point. I was immediately outbid. So I upped my limit by twenty bucks and spent the day smug that no one would outbid me.
To my dismay, someone did outbid me, and I had to raise my limit by a hundred bucks to stay in the game.
The next morning, I woke up to learn I had been outbid. Again. That night before bed, I decided I had two options. I could stay up past my bedtime to monitor the end of the auction and place a last-minute bid if needed. Or I could place a maximum bid that was so outrageous no one could ever outbid me.
I did the latter.
That's how I accidentally spent $1,000 on a box of soapmaking supplies. I was horrified when I learned what I had done, but I didn't know how to undo it. So I paid for my purchase and immediately lost interest... in both making homemade soap and bidding on eBay.
It's been years since I made soap at home. I threw away all my supplies after I realized my passion for making soap had gone away. Now the only thing I do with soap is wash with it.
Why would you want to Buy Me a Coffee? I am a full-time writer and a full-time unpaid caregiver to my 82-year-old father, who lives with Parkinson's. Your tip or donation allows me to provide for his care and comfort around the clock while working from home. Thank you.
Comments / 2