Scented soap on a lovely soap-dish brightens my day. I realized this recently and pondered “Why?”
What I discovered was a memory from several years ago when I was invited to teach in India. The doors kept opening and my original “yes” became a three-week trip to many of the states in southern India. While there, one of the memorable experiences was that of soap not being available in public restrooms. Thankfully I had traveled with my own hand sanitizing wipes.
Back home, I found myself buying scented soaps and purposefully made soap dishes. I’ve taken to calling my spruce-up of bathroom and kitchen sinks: SinkScaping™. The acts of SinkScaping bring me joy and continue bringing joy each time I return to a sink to wash my hands or face. One day, a coconut soap bar in an artisan shop drew my attention and then my surprise when I discovered that it had been made in India. The lack of soap in India very likely did cause me to be drawn to the nature-themed soaps and soap dishes I purchased while on pleasure trips over the next two years. Each cream-colored ceramic soap dish brings happy memories of trips to Oregon and Washington and renewed joys to the surface of my soul.
Where it began, white and cream-colored soap dishes.
SinkScaping: Then I began creating soap dishes out of thrift store purchases such as decorative food dishes, small decorated plates, and decorative saucers, even butter dishes (which hold pump-bottle dispensers nicely). Spending small amounts for these repurposed dishes means that I can enjoy a frequent rotation of soap dishes, all the while brightening my soul during mundane hand-washing moments.
The cheerful dishes, along with handcrafted soaps or store-bought bar and pump soaps, bring me delight every time I wash my hands at the kitchen or bathroom sinks. SinkScaping, like landscaping, is meant to bring joy to the creator and to the visitor alike! In the kitchen, the butter dish with a bar and pump-dispenser soap nestled side-by-side makes me feel creative and happy. In the bathroom, the leaf-shaped dish with a cheerful perching bird holds a rosemary-mint bar from a northwestern trip and a peach-scented bar from my home-state. Having two scents to choose from offers me respite amidst busy and chaotic work days and parenting trials. And, each scent provides a moment of relaxation and a restful breath while completing the routine task of washing my hands.
SinkScaping: My soap dish collection now includes seasonal themes, domestic and international pieces, and colorful repurposed saucers and dishes that bring me joy in the collecting and joy in daily use. I’m keeping an eye out for other colorful and inspiring soap dish delights.
• What items of beauty have you collected that feed your soul and bring you joy during the mundane moments of the day?
• What little things light up your soul daily?
• What are the top ten items of beauty in your home or workplace that bring you joy each time your eyes alight on them?
• What would you like to add to your daily environments to bring a moment of soul-feeding joy to daily life?