Phantom Stink

There is a phantom stink in my house. I don’t notice until I leave my house and return, whereupon I discover that my house smells like moldy socks. I have been eliminating the usual suspects: compost bowl, trash, diaper pail, dog bed… there are so many possibilities. What with potty training, a dog, a cat, and massive drink spillage, my house is a perfect storm for stink. Halle said she thinks the culprit is the Happy Monster, who is her apparently very rank imaginary friend. That would explain why I can’t find the odor.

Yesterday, I walked outside and actually thought that the air smelled like dryer sheets because it was so fresh in comparison. The stink is driving me crazy. I don’t enjoy cleaning, but the stink is causing me to either clean or stay away from home. So after some frantic cleaning, I give up and take the girls to the park or shopping.

I was reflecting this morning on the sins of ignorance in the Old Testament. The Israelites were expected to bring guilt offerings and sin offerings and on top of both of these, offerings to acquit for their sins of ignorance. That must have been like a spiritual phantom stink – a sin that kept being committed without realizing that it’s a problem. Sort of like how a person might lose ten pounds after discovering that fried foods are unhealthy. These sins cause problems unintentionally, but that doesn’t make them innocent.

I hope I find the phantom stink soon. Otherwise, I’m going to have to throw out all my rugs and start over with ones that are not committing sins of ignorance against me.