Do Real Men Loofah?

Firstly, let me say that the word "loofah" is in itself too feminine to even utter in the presence of other men. You might as well mix in words like tampon, kotex, bikini wax, exfoliate and pumice stone if you do... and you had better be reading a grocery list your wife just gave you. That being said, I will from now instead refer to the loofah as a "scrubber" which is exactly what it should be called. I've always dealt with my wife's scrubbers as an unavoidable nuisance taking up precious space in the shower while I scrubbed with whatever hand towel happened to be left behind for me to use. I've never been picky about hand towels, shower gels or bar soap as long as I felt it did the job of removing the dirt and smell from the previous day. The problem arose when I began going to the gym on a regular basis and occasionally have to shower to return to work. Hand towels don't normally work in this situation since a gym bag is not the ideal place for a wet towel to sit for several days. Especially when you've been reminded by the emanating smell from your gym bag that you forgot to take it out. The answer? A scrubber.

We've all seen the commercials. Some guy walks by several models hanging out at the gym who ignore him like last year's oil change. He showers with some Axe shower gel and the new Axe Scrubber. Abracadabra! He's a stud and they tackle him ripping all the clothes off his body. Fortunately, I'm a little more media literate than to believe that could happen to me but I buy the Axe Scrubber anyway. With the black and red color scheme, it has the look of something you'd find in your dad's toolbox. Even Axe recognized the need to give it a masculine connotation by labeling it a "detailer". I have to admit that I felt no shame walking through the men's locker room shower with it the other day. Its somewhat smaller than I had anticipated but, on one side, it has a grip that fits perfectly in your palm for a secure grasp while using it. Flip it over and there's a red super scrubber which I'm assuming is for removing bugs, leeches or dirt clods. Draining excess water and drying it was easy as well which gave it high marks in my book. I can do without the wet towel smell in my gym bag.

Do real men loofah? No, but they do scrub.

Sometimes, They Come Back...

I am a firm believer that, at some point in time, everyone does something in life that helps to define who they are as a person. For me, it was the day I became a teacher. I remember being so nervous the first time I had to stand in front of 30 kids and engage them for 50 minutes while I discussed the importance of media in society. Fifty-one minutes later, I knew I had found my calling. Over the next 14 years, I would teach, mentor, discipline, laugh, bandage, counsel and care for over 1200 students that walked through the doors of my classrooms... and I remember every single one of them. The names escape me sometimes but the faces never do. Teaching our young adults is a privilege and I believe everyone should spend at least one day of their life in a classroom to experience the feeling that only comes from looking into the eyes of a child hanging on to every word they say.

So why did I leave the classroom? Well, I could always use the "promotion I couldn't pass up" excuse or the teacher "burnout" cover story... but neither would be the complete truth. The real reason for leaving the classroom? I grew weary of saying goodbye to my "kids". As corny as it sounds, I considered all of them my children and cared for many as if they really were my very own. I watched so many of them grow up in front of my very own eyes. Some spent more time with me than their own parents. Most were with me over several years as they transitioned from awkward freshmen to the young men and women they would become as seniors... and that's when the hard part would come along. Hundreds upon hundreds of students that graduate and disappear into the real world never to be heard from again. Each time a group of my kids walked that stage a small part of my heart ached knowing I may never lay eyes on them again. Teachers aren't supposed to get that close... but many do. I was one of them. To this day, I wonder about so many of them. Are they in school? Did they graduate? Have they gotten married? How many kids have they had? Have they found their place in life? So many questions... but I had to let them go and keep it to myself.

Sometimes, they come back. There is always a small percentage that stay in touch and even stop by for a visit. Most of the time its a quick email or phone call to reach out and let me know how things are going in their lives... or a phone call to deliver the kind of news every teacher hopes to avoid... you hear it in the tone of their voice... the death of a kid. Its a phone call I received just yesterday. Josh was riding in a car that was broadsided by a drunk driver... and just like that... he is gone. I put the phone down, close my eyes and think about him for awhile. I remember his smile, his laugh, the clothes he wore and the sound of his voice. I remember the times I yelled at him, laughed with him and taught him... three years of memories. Its then the heartache returns and I think about his future taken away and the pain his parents and family are going through. Its still hard to believe this is happening. I thank God for allowing me to become a part of Josh's life and remember the reasons for leaving the classroom.

I'll go home and hug my kids... probably a lot longer than they want me to. They'll ask what's up and I'll just say "I love you. Please be careful while driving." They are my full-time students and, unlike all my other students, I know I'll never have to let them go... for long.

I am a teacher.