Thank You for Toilet Paper: A History of the Little Things

For all the times that we mess up in life or on paper, there are...breadcrumbs. Just kidding. There are erasers! Although, before we had these handy tools, breadcrumbs played a big role in cleaning up our mistakes. Time for a little love for erasers!

Used to wave a fond farewell or save us from our sniffles when we have a cold--it's time for a little bit of love for handkerchiefs and tissues!

They may not always be easy to find, but they are always handy in a pinch. Time for a little love for bobby pins!

Over the years, we've gone from papyrus to bone to bamboo, eventually ending up with this handy means of communication. It makes up our textbooks, maps, contracts, and love letters. Time for a little bit of love for paper!

They allowed us to feel like we were flying as children and continue to give us a new point of view today. Time for a little bit of love for the most popular plaything on the playground: Swings.

It takes over our TVs and social media every four years. It brings countries together to cheer for their teams. It is the pinnacle of dreams and years of hard work. It's also a good reason to shout: GOOOOOOOOAAAAAALLLLLL!!!! Thank you to one of our listeners for suggesting this week's topic! Time for a little bit of love for the World Cup.

Did you know that the German sprinkles called "liebesperlen" started out as a declaration of love? Time for a little bit of our own love for sprinkles.

It's a utensil used by roughly 1.5 billion people around the world. Time for a little bit of love for chopsticks.

Always there when you need it, from midnight snack to cultural icon, it's time for a little bit of love for ramen.

From exploring mountains to navigating city streets to our first taste of freedom around the neighborhood, time for a little bit of love for the bicycle.

It's something we never want to lose and a game we've played for centuries. Time for a little bit of love for marbles.

They tell the time, ring out for celebrations, and help us keep track of sheep and goats. In times of great distress, they'll even let others know that we aren't dead yet. Time for a little love for bells.

These psychedelic light fixtures have helped us get our grooves on for the last few decades, but did you know they were originally advertised for office spaces? Time for a little love for the lava lamp.

Whether they're housing incredible performers, awesome events, or simply allowing us to trek out into the wilderness to admire the night sky, tents have given shelter to a lot of dreams over the years. Time for a little love for tents.

The tool for artists and tradespersons that can turn a house into a home, a blank canvas into a new world, and can help create some very fine detail work. Time for a little love for paintbrushes! 

From chilling on the beach to hanging out with friends, to making sea voyages more comfortable, there are quite a few reasons we have to be grateful for hammocks!

From detangling a bad hair day to helping with toxicology reports, hair brushes and combs do a lot more than help us keep our hair on. Time for a little love!

They make childhood magical, boggle the brains of mathematicians, and inspired an Olympic Pavillion. Time for a little bit of love for these delightful displays of whimsy and efficiency: bubbles.

From duck tape to masking tape and surgical tape, this sticky substance has been helping humanity "keep it together" for more than a century. Time for a little love and gratitude for tape!

An essential tool in keeping our mouths clean, healthy, and giving us fresh breath, time for a little gratitude for toothpaste! (So grateful that toothpaste no longer tastes like burnt bread! 🥴😉)

From Happy Feet to March of the Penguins, humans just love to watch these tuxedoed birds do their thing. Time for a little bit of love for the magnificent penguin!

Sometimes we find tangible things to be grateful for, and sometimes we are grateful for the intangible, the experiences. This week we're going to try something a little different, and I'm going to share a few stories from my trip to Korea, for which I am particularly grateful. Let's talk about a few tender mercies, the kindness of strangers, and making connections.

There are many places you don't want it: in your hair, on your shoe, or on the street, but when times are dire and breath is bad, there's nothing quite like a piece of chewing gum to save the day! Time for a little love for chewing gum.

Shaved ice, in various forms, offers icy relief during hot months. From snow cones to bingsu, it's time for a little bit of love for the treat that keeps us cool!

They can be small, simple, hold good stories or painful memories, or, according to Dumbledoor, can even be shaped like a map of the London Underground: scars. Let's take a moment for a little bit of gratitude for the miracle of how our bodies heal, and a witness to overcoming some tough challenges in life.