The dish was filled up with dishes that were only moderately rinsed and the drain trap was partially blocked with food chunks.

The nearby counter had a plastic bag with lemons in it, given to us a week ago. One was covered in a soft, fuzzy blanket of powdery mold. Some were still good.

I was full-on Goblin mode, and hadn’t showered for 24 hours.

As I began to wash the dishes, a slightly sweet, slightly sour, slightly barf-tastic smell kept wafting into my nostrils.

I couldn’t help to wonder: was it an individual stank, or was it the combination of all of the above?

And then I realized – it doesn’t matter.

I washed the dishes, cleaned the sink, composted the moldy lemons, juiced the good ones, took a shower, and changed into a fresh shirt.

When you’ve got a problem, and you suspect multiple causes, does it make sense to just fix one thing, or might it make more sense to address all of them?