Plain toothpaste

Photo: Thinkstock

6 of 7
"Plain Crest toothpaste in a tube!"
We all have those hard-to-find things that make us happy: popcorn-flavored jellybeans; jumping, joyful three-legged dogs; the first summer day when fountains spurt on in hot public parks. Texting him a photo with a line like, "Plain Crest toothpaste in a tube!", reminds him that he is not the only one bewildered by the endless new-and-improved formulas involving baking soda and whitening chemicals, as well as annoyed by the stand-up pump dispensers that punk out and deny you the last two centimeters of paste. In addition, it brings to his attention that the world is still a recognizably excellent place; the hard-to-find things are not impossible to find. They are here: in an aisle at Rite Aid. Between the Aim and the Colgate.