Potatoes
Potatoes. When they start to rot, potatoes stink. It’s happened to me and maybe it’s happened to you.
Something reeked in the pantry. I went for the potatoes. Yes, they were a little soft. One looked bad and probably had begun to infect the others, so I threw them out. Three days later, the smell was worse, so there was no choice but to attack the entire pantry.
Top to bottom, I took everything out, stacking the counters, table and floor. It was amazing what I found. Three half used boxes of foodsaver bags, my old blender that had been replaced by a combo processor/blender years before, a waffle iron with a partially melted wire, all taking valuable shelf space. Then there was the waste. Salad dressings, evaporated milk and other sundries with ‘best by dates’ as far back as 2007.
Personally, I was glad that I still had a nose to know something was askew. Even though I looked at my pantry mismanagement with self-accusation of hoarder potential and the horrors that go with it, the cleansing made me feel I was redeemable.
Many times I had said I wanted a bigger pantry, but what I needed was a more efficient one. Space makes it way too easy to stash away items that no longer serve a purpose.
This seems so similar to what is going on in Washington DC. Instead of scrubbing or updating the efficiency of necessary programs for the last sixty years, they just kept adding on, making space to cover up odors of what has turned bad.
Unfortunately, a bad potato serves as an invitation to corrupt all that is good. The whiff of an unpleasant aroma begins the cycle, an attraction for rodents, thieves and mold. The unlivable situation forms an excellent environment to hide things, where no one will want to look, because it’s just too complicated.
Listening to the screams of those in an uproar over reorganization, reminds me of watching a ‘hoarder’ show. Yes, there might be a little trauma at the thought of change, as the hoarder stands there, mentally torn by the thought of what may be valuable might be taken away from them. There is no comprehension that those things they hang on to, were already being destroyed by the filth and its counterparts.
They cry for Elon to stop. They say there are worthy programs that shouldn’t be investigated. Meanwhile, we watch in real time, as it seems rodents are displaced, cockroaches scatter and thieves squeal the loudest. The stench of deep-seated corruption is evidence of how manipulators of our benevolent intent have transformed policies and programs that now support a modern-day American Banana Republic.
Remember my stinking potato? It had fallen amongst dry goods and ruined everything around it. If I had not removed everything, I may not have found what was hidden from sight.
Just like I did for my pantry, the good and usable will be returned to its original purpose. And thankfully, all that is wasteful, inefficient or poses potential harm will be eliminated. Although it seems hard for some, I am looking forward to a fresh spring-cleaned America.