Have you ever felt embarrassed by the things that you used to like?
I used to love cleaning the bathroom. I mean really love. The shower, the toilet, the sinks...everything. I would beg to get to clean the bathroom, which to me was way better than vacuuming, washing the dishes or picking weeds. For example, when I was just 5 years old, I used to lie in the bathtub, scrubbing the already shiny floors, singing my own song that went something like “I’m washing the floor, but nobody helps me!” This would continue until I had decided that the bathtub was adequately clean, and then I would finish taking my shower.
Eventually that stopped. But whenever my parents brought it up, I would angrily ignore them. I’m not sure why this embarrassed me so much, because it was just one of the countless embarrassing childhood stories that all parents love to reminisce about. I think it’s because I liked something that I thought literally no one else thought was enjoyable, and that most people thought was extremely disgusting. It was the weird thing about me that I used to broadcast to everyone as a child, but now I don’t even speak of it.
The first time I realized that my love for toilet cleaning was slightly weird was when my middle school table partner was complaining about chores. The one thing I remember him saying was, “and my sister, she actually likes cleaning the bathroom...freak.” That was when I really got embarrassed. It reminded me of when my favorite part about cleaning the bathroom was getting to sprinkle the (dangerous!) bleach (and eventually the more environmental baking soda) into the toilet bowl, and washing it around the side with the toilet scrubber. Before, I didn’t really think about my old likes, and I didn’t really think that what I liked was out of the ordinary. I would even wear my brothers hand me downs with pride. But it was inevitable to become self conscious. As a result of people's side comments, and my family's influence, I began to worry. I worried about what other people thought, I worried about whether or not I fit in, or whether or not I was doing things “right.” Is it weird that I enjoyed cleaning the bathroom?
Even today, I am the person responsible for cleaning the bathroom on our first floor, although I definitely don’t enjoy it as much as I used to.
Your post made me laugh. This is a very cute story about weird things you used to like. Many people can relate to being told that something you like is weird. Your informal language really makes the essay easy to follow. Maybe you could add a little more self-reflection at the end. I feel like your essay ends a little abruptly.
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