Thursday, November 1, 2007

The End of an Era.



Anyone that ever has lived with me will recognize this towel. It's been a constant presence in my bathrooms since 1991. I am sad to report today was it's last official day of service. It now resides in the trash can.

It was given to me by my first real bosses: Paulette and Teddi Friedman. They owned an upscale retail store in St. Louis and they were the first people ever to hire me. There were a hilarious couple. Paulette was known far and wide for changing her clothes mid-day in the middle of the store... oh, and its noteworthy that Paulette wore neither a bra nor underwear, only pantyhose. It is an unfortunate image that will live with me longer than this towel.

They gave it to me as a departure present. I moved from St. Louis to Alexandria, VA in my Senior year of high school, and they knew how nervous I was. This present was intended to make me excited for college - just one short year away.

Away with me to college it went... I even bought plastic crates in the same color teal as the writing. I was so very coordinated! It's been with me ever since. Countless apartments in several states. It's been there when I lived at home, when I lived alone, and when I lived with roommates.

It's the most enormous towel you've ever seen - a bath sheet really and has kept me modest despite my weight struggles, regardless of the potential viewers for over a decade and a half. It stayed white for a very long time... only recently have I realized it's graying.

Maybe that's why this towel has me nostalgic... it's graying is reminiscent of my own. This object has intimately lived with me through my late teens, through college, through my twenties, to where I am today.

Perhaps I'll get another monogrammed one that will have a similar lifespan. I know that I hold these sentimental objects very close to my heart and I am loathe to replace them. Visit me someday and start asking me questions... nearly every object that surrounds me has a story. Much like the people I love, if I hold you close to my heart, you are truly remarkable - and I will sing your praises to anyone and everyone that will listen.

I'll stop here... I'm sure I lost most people a long while ago. "What's up with the ode to the bath towel?"... is what you all must be saying.

Alright, alright, I'm done.

2 comments:

Kathryn said...

Is it just me, or does my faucet look very phallic to other people?

Maybe it's because the sink is rather small and the faucet is a bit out of scale.

Kali said...

(a) I did not notice the potential pyschological state of your faucet.

(b) One of my favorite Mary Chapin Carpenter songs is about her favorite white t-shirt and how it goes with her through the various states of her life. Thus, the t-shirt becomes emblematic of the various "selves" that she has tried on. We all probably have items that mark those times for each of us. Me, being the glorious pack rat that I am, would probably keep the towel for sentimental purposes.