It's Not Magic, It Just Makes Sense

I made a great discovery yesterday. I was cleaning, wiping down the stove, counters, etc. in the kitchen. We have one of the those smoothtop ranges. I love it for the most part. There are no drip-pans that need to be scrubbed and scoured due to the collection of crumbs or boiled-over pot crud. Pots do still boil over occasionally, though and sometimes leave a burnt-on film on the glass surface. One must be careful when cleaning the glass-top, because it can scratch easily. There is a product on the market usually including the word "magic" in the title for cleaning this type of range. It is a white, liguidy, chalky substance that you apply, leave on for a awhile, and then put some muscle into to get the job done. It works fairly-well, but often there is still some residue that just won't budge.

Yesterday I was using a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser to wipe down the fridge, the dishwasher, the back of the stove, etc.. (Why is the word "magic" always included in these products?) I have used these before for wall marks and other things, and I think they really do include a little magic. I may be inclined to believe it more now than ever. I wiped it across the smoothtop surface, and those stubborn bits of burnt-on whatever just wiped right off like shaving cream under a razor! I was stunned! My immediate thought was, "You have got to be kidding me! All that white, chalky, scrubbing I have been doing for years and it could be this easy?" Who would have guessed?

Isn't this the way a lot of us live? Our lives are full of burnt-on residue. It could be a habit we can't seem to overcome or a job that doesn't satisfy for some reason, or perhaps many reasons. Is it a relationship that is not healthy, or a goal that hangs out there somewhere, just beyond our reach? Maybe it is your spiritual life....it's feels so flat and dry.

We keep trying the same things to remedy the situation and to finally get the rest of the layers of stuff off. It works, sort of, but not completely and we find ourselves giving up and not trying at all or scrubbing the same spot over and over with the same result.

We forget that there is more than one way to________________. You fill in the blank and remember this.......there might be a better way. Yes, Mr. Clean took me by surprise. It was an unexpected discovery, yet a discovery just the same. I didn't intend to try something new, but I saw the lesson to be learned. If whatever it is I am trying isn't working to make the change I desire or need, it is time to think outside the confines of my very small box and find another option. We can keep scrubbing the smoothtop with the same old formula and motion, receiving the same results, or we can find a new solution.