‘For good’

Probably in most families there are phrases that mean something to them and most everyone else would be wondering “what does that mean”?

In our family, the phrase “for good” was understood, accepted, and just never questioned – at least to my Mom. Maybe it is not as unique as I think – maybe it was the same in your family, too.

“For good” (according to the Schultz family dictionary of directions and phrases) meant not to be used without a pretty good reason and only upon the discretion and permission of Mom.

This applied – and was not limited to – dishes, silverware, sheets, blankets, and most importantly, bath towels.

Now that same Schultz family dictionary never completely defined who was eligible “for good”. It was a mystery. Dishes and silverware – the good stuff – was reserved for holidays and special occasions and never used at the kids’ table; definitely they were not “for good”.

Sheets and blankets. When someone visited (and as the youngest, I was obligated to give up my room and bed) they received the “for good” blanket and sheets. Sleeping on the floor in the living room, I used my normal bedding.

And now we come to bath towels. The gold standard of “for good”.

My mom always had three grades of bath towels: regular daily use by family members that had no drying lint left on them. Washed a few hundred times – they moved water around your body like a squeegee and absorbed very little bath water.  

The second level had a bit of lint left. You were enthralled when you discovered the bath towel laid out for you (oh yes, laid out for you by my mom, no class-jumping allowed) that you had moved up to the second drawer.

The final level: A new Cannon towel. Bath size, only washed when new and placed into “for good” service.

I made it to the second level just before my mother passed away. I think right up to just before the end I was using the old lint-free towel when I visited. 

This column came about as I was looking around my closet and deciding on a shirt to wear for an appointment. “For good”? The apple never falls far from the tree.