The Miracle Shampoo

The holidays are approaching and I was reading a story about the Maccabbean revolt and the miracle of the oil for their sacred lamp. Story has it that as the Maccabbes retook the temple of Jeruselem, they found it destroyed by the occupying forces of Antiochus V. After rebuilding the temple, they needed to consecrate it. They relit their holy lamp in the temple to begin the re-dedication of the temple and discovered that they didn't have enough olive oil to keep their lamp burning during their ceremony and, in fact, they only had enough oil to last a single day. Unfortunately it would take 8 days to press, bless and purify new oil for the lamp. What to do? They prayed for God to intercede. The miracle part of the story we all know...the lamp continued to burn for 8 days and never went out while they made new sacred oil. This miracle became the basis for the Jewish Holiday of Hannukah, the Festival of Lights.

My story is related, but I don't know what spiritual reference I can take from this, but my bottle of shampoo hasn't run out in over 10 months of use! This is my "Miracle Shampoo!" Okay, it is a large bottle of Costco Shampoo, but seriously, it continues to give me a single pump of 'poo every time I ask for one. It feels empty, and has for over a month. In anticipation I went to Costco and bought a couple of replacement bottles. My bottle has lasted so long Costco changed the package...my white bottle with sloped shoulders has been re-designed to a stylish brown color with more of a square look...that is how long this sucker has lasted. I bought those replacement bottles (yeah, annoying that they come in 2-packs only) back in August, and here it is almost November and my hair is still shiny clean, bouncy, and luxurious. Well, as much as it can bounce. Those two bottles of new shampoo are sitting in my closet gathering dust. Every morning as I prepare to pump a squirt of shampoo, I say a little prayer that it will continue to give me cleansing...and I haven't been disappointed yet.

I brought that bottle of shampoo down to LA  from Seattle when I moved down in January. It wasn't completely full, but close enough. I moved it from my apartment in Venice to my condo in Culver City. You have to remember, every time I move it, I have to pump it to secure the pump down...that wastes a lot of valuable stuff, and I have done that twice...make that three times. For some reason I couldn't secure the pump and had to pump it a second time when I moved to Culver City. So I haven't been overtly conserving shampoo. When I wash my short hair, I do only pump it once, which is plenty. But by my calculations I have pumped it over 200 times, and it always delivers. It should have run dry months ago...

I can't explain it, and am afraid to take the lid off the bottle to look inside. I will just continue to pump it every morning until it gives up its last gift. That bottle has already given me so much, I can't expect anything more.

Maybe that is the spiritual lesson...think about someone who is always there for you, and has never given up on gifting you something you need...an encouraging word, a hug, or that look that says, "you're my friend, and I've got your back." 

I will let you all know when that bottle finally runs dry...then I will look for my next miracle bottle.

Chow!