Reality Check

I paid my rent today, which means I'm officially at the Y for another week. So that's a big "hurrah" for the blog, although a less enthusiastic "hurrah" for me getting my life in order.

I’ve been viewing my time at the Y as kind of a fun adventure. But um... I guess for some people it’s not. Most of the residents are older men who are probably well past the point of "this is just until I get my life in order".

Today I went to the bathroom to wash my adorable new dishes from Goodwill.

They're teal-gray square stoneware with rounded corners.

I was joined at the sink by a man with a long beard. He was also washing some dishes – a plastic bucket that he was using as a bowl, and a broken plate. Literally at least a third of the plate was missing. (I wish I had a picture of it so you would know I'm not being hyperbolic, but I suspect photographing this man doing his dishes would be a faux-pas.)

I was using my little bottle of dish soap, a dishcloth, and a friendly orange sponge. He rinsed his bucket and semi-dish with water, then rubbed them with his flannel shirt.

I had been imagining myself as super-poor, as I browsed Goodwill for the most awesome full set of dishes they had. This guy can’t afford anything close to that.

But you should definitely check out the dishes at Goodwill – some really fun bargains to be had.