Kid Stuff

Image by Raquel Candia from Pixabay

In an effort to be more ecologically responsible, I have been looking for ways to reduce the amount of plastic I purchase and then consequently discard. One discovery I made was a powdered dishsoap.
​The website shows videos of happy people using their product, creating a lovely foamy lather by sprinkling this powder onto a wet sponge, and washing their dishes. Cool.
I considered this for a minute before I was hit with a memory from my childhood.

My mom had bought a powdered toothpaste for me and my brother. I don't know her reasons for such a purchase; all I knew was that I hated brushing my teeth with it. The kicker in this memory was remembering how much of this powder missed my toothbrush and was just washed down the drain.
Well, this powdered dish soap was not cheap, and I couldn't justify spending money on something that was going to end up going down the drain. So I decided against this product and moved on.
(Yes, I realize that it will *all* end up going down the drain . . .)
Days (or weeks?) later, I mentioned it to my daughter, and my whole thought process behind my decision to not get it. She just started at me ...
Then she made a simple statement:  "That's not the only powdered cleanser you've ever used."
I felt suddenly very silly as I recalled using powdered laundry and dishwasher detergents, and Ajax and Comet to clean my bathrooms! Talk about a facepalm moment.
​I purhcased the powdered dish soap the next day.

So why did I share this little story with you?
Because it brought to my awareness how much influence this single childhood experience was having in my current lived experience. Not only was this childhood experience the first one to come to mind when thinking about using a powdered cleanser, it was the *only* one to come to mind. And I made a decision - right now, as a grown-ass adult - based on this single childhood memory. I made no attempt to find other experiences - that clearly existed - to help in making my decision. I also made no effort to challenge this single memory, no attempt to move past that memory.

This whole thing makes me wonder how many other decisions I've made based (consciously or unconsciously) on a single childhood experience or memory. And, now that I'm aware, the next time I recall something from my childhood in me decision making process, I'll stop and ask myself some questions. Why did this memory came to mind? Is this single memory enough to determine my current course of action? Is the situation or context of this memory still valid input in my current situation or context? Are there other more recent relevant experiences? Hopefully, asking myself these questions will keep me making hasty decisions based on the memories and impressions of my younger self.