Parable* of the Soap

Once upon a time, there was a slab of soap. It was pumpkin colored. Ugly. Scraggly on top. It smelled like--well to be honest, it smelled like disgusting wet paint.

It smelled so bad that the makers of the soap seriously considered throwing it away immediately.

It was awful, awful soap.

The other bars of soap made by the soapmakers were beautiful. They smelled wonderful-like white tea and ginger, like Arabian spices, like cinnamon, like almonds. Their colors were warm and inviting. The were highly desired and eagerly awaited as they cured on the bedroom closet shelf. Every time people walked into the closet they happily breathed in the delicate scents from the beautiful soaps.

The pumpkin-colored soap was banished to a shelf in the garage and forgotten about.

After four weeks, the soaps were taken from the closet shelf to be wrapped and packaged. They were decorated and put into beautiful gift bags. They were tagged and designated for special people. They were ready to go out and clean up the world!

At the last minute, the soapmakers remembered the pumpkin-colored soap. Could it be useful for anything? The soap was brought into the light and looked at. Could it be possible? The soap was pale yellow, with brighter yellow specks, just as it had looked in the enticing "recipe" book. It smelled clean, and fresh, and spicy. It smelled good! It was desirable, just like the other soaps that had been beautiful from the beginning. It was ready to be wrapped, decorated, and gifted to the world!

Moral of the story: Don't be quick to judge and/or throw out what may not seem desirable at first look. Given a little time and and a little peace and quiet, it may just turn out to be a jewel!



*I know that this is more of a fable by definition than a parable, but I just thought "Parable of the Soap" had a better ring to it...

(And, I know you've all just been DYING to know how the sunflower and calendula soap turned out...)