Thought For The Day #16

Broadcast 31st of December 2013 on BBC Radio Bristol

I’ve been tweeting pictures of my washing up sponge. Yes I’m serious and there’s no twist. About once a week I balance the sponge on the edge of the sink and snap it with my smartphone. Reactions have been varied; from disbelief, laughter and, in one case, a reply from a friend of his own sponge.

The idea came to me when I realised that my old sponge was just too ripped up and dirty to be useful for cleaning anymore. Of course that wasn’t the first time. It’s just that for some reason I was struck by the fact that I hadn’t noticed the sponge get into its sorry state. And so I vowed not to miss the demise of the next one.

Although it might seem like a joke, I think there’s a deeply serious point. Our minds are hardwired to look for excitement. Yet most of our lives, well at least certainly mine, is made up of normality. I get dressed, put out the rubbish, commute, reheat some food, stare mindlessly at some Youtube and go to bed. The next thing we know, another year has passed.

We always knew time was passing, but the ending of a year, like the changing of a sponge, shocks us into recognition. Sponge Watch, as I’ve affectionately named it, is a direct assault on my mind’s hardwiring. Time is not something I want to notice just once a year. So, I do wish you all a happy Twenty Fourteen, but more importantly may your sponges never go unnoticed.