Ode to the Tissue

Oh tissue. You are a wonder. What would we do without you?

You perform so many tasks without fail. You’re there for us when we’re sick – expelling fluids from our crevices. You console us when we are sad and grieving, right by our side the entire way. You help us stay clean and tidy – the janitor of hygiene.

My mother always had a whole bunch of you hibernating in her cavernous pocketbook, next to her minty packets of Wrigley’s gum. My grandmother would have you tucked delicately away in the cuff of her blouse or sweater, always at the ready. As an adolescent, before I blossomed, my girlfriends and I would use you for padding – with hope that someday nature would take its course and we wouldn’t need you anymore.

We don’t give you enough credit. For just being there – in our darkest and brightest moments. We do tend to overuse you – leaving our nostrils red and raw. We love you nonetheless. The back of our sleeves will never take your place. You are the epitome of sanitary!

I hate to use the word disposable but that’s what makes you so special. You pop up, ready to be of service in your fancy colored box. You come in small and big packages, travel sized and deluxe. Sometimes you even have lotion built in. How very kind of you to make sure we always feel good…to soften the blows (if you will) of life.

You are a multi use paper product. You are one part tissue, and one part napkin. You wipe, absorb, clean, and serve double duty when the toilet paper runs out.

You are passed around regularly – at weddings and funerals and schools. You are a vessel, a receptacle for all that we wish to rid our bodies of. You are the camping companion when there are no flushing facilities around. Leaves can never replace you. Never.

So how can we ever thank you? I’m not sure we can. The best we can do is to continue to reach for you as our favorite feather-light friend to carry us through the moisture of life.