Catholic Review Just a Hamper

We just got rid of our old hamper. No big deal. It was just a hamper.

But I found myself remembering how much thought we put into selecting it. I’m not sure how many engaged couples put a hamper on their wedding registry, but John and I did. When we were engaged back in 2004, we carefully added a brown wicker one with a hinged lid to our list. We were so happy when my brother’s friend Albert bought it for us.

It might sound silly, but attractive, useful household items bring me so much joy.

Still, it’s just a hamper. After our wedding, we moved the hamper into our first home—a one-bedroom apartment in a tiny town on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. That hamper moved with us to another apartment, then to our first house, and then to our second. For nine years it has stood in our bedroom in our current home. A hamper isn’t like a crystal goblet or a porcelain platter that comes out for special occasions. You use it all the time—and for 18 years, we have.

It’s just a hamper. But who knows how many dirty clothes and towels and blankets it’s held over the years? How many times have we opened and closed it? How many loads of laundry have gone through that hamper as our family grew from two to three to four? How many socks have disappeared never to be seen again?

That hamper has served us well. But a few weeks ago, John casually mentioned that we needed a new one. I was surprised. The hamper looked fine to me. Then he showed me some holes that have been there for a while. Apparently, I haven’t been paying attention, just taking that hamper—wedding gift that it is—for granted.

It was time to say farewell to the hamper and find another. Which was fine. Because it’s just a hamper.

The first time we hunted for just the right hamper together. This time around, it was much simpler. I went to the store alone and texted John a few photos. He told me which one he liked, and I said, “Great, that’s the one I liked, too.” After all, marriage is about recognizing that one of you cares more about the hamper than the other. And, regardless of which one we pick, I’ll come to feel an affection for this perfectly ordinary household item, too.

I bought the hamper, and it is standing proudly in our home. It’s just a hamper. Now let’s see if it can last 18 years.