Everyday Things

 

               There’s no denying that big moments are not what make up most of our lives.  Our lives are a string of everyday things; making coffee, grocery shopping, laundry, cleaning the floors, and preparing meals.  Add in interactions with family, friends, and strangers and there you have your average life.  Now and then there are big moments; awards, weddings, christenings, funerals, moving, and milestones such as graduating. The fabric of our lives is made up of many threads.

               It’s the mundane things that give us some security and comfort.  While folding laundry is not one of my favorite activities, it reminds me that I am blessed indeed to have clothing and the means to keep it clean and stored so it’s ready to be worn.  Apparently I need that reminder often since it seems that there is at least one load waiting to be dealt with on a daily basis!  The scent of the detergent, and the unique way a freshly dried pile of clothing smells speak of home and safety.  When my girls were babies I hung the laundry on a clothesline to dry in order to save on our utility bills, but as they grew and my attentions were drawn elsewhere, those golden days of little shirts and bedsheets flapping in the sun gave way to rushing from activity to activity and the whirring of the washer and dryer in the evening after everyone was clean, fed and settled in for the night.  There were times that a mountain of laundry awaited me Sunday afternoon wedged in between meals and family time. Now I am back to the task being almost a daily requirement and I’m not sure if it was better to leave all for one day or to spread it out this way.  Probably it doesn’t matter much, as long as it gets done.  I take solace in the knowledge that I’m not the only one who is frequently reminded of this blessing.

               Planning and preparing meals then cleaning up the kitchen and dishes is another ordinary task that most everyone does.  It starts with brewing coffee or tea in the morning, and is there any more welcome aroma and sound than the tea kettle whistling or the coffee maker gurgling while rubbing the sleep out of your eyes and getting your body stretched and ready to meet the day? Even if you’re guzzling that brew or pouring it into your travel mug as you run out the door, it is a small pleasure we look forward to upon awakening.  Routinely making a lunch to take along or putting together a sandwich at noon when you’re home, and then cooking dinner at the end of the day lends us a sense of normalcy in what is sometimes a chaotic time of our lives.  Seeing our kitchen cleaned up as we sip something warm and comforting in the evening gives a sense that we made it through the day and can rest knowing that we’re ready for tomorrow.

               Daily tasks give us a base to return to when work and other events threaten to unbalance us.  Although they may feel boring or annoying at times, they are useful for keeping ourselves on track to be the best that we can be.  If we can feel content that whatever else life throws at us there’s always going to be humdrum tasks to help us move along, then we can handle most anything.

There's Always Laundry

Now that I'm back to my lunch lady duties during the week, I do most of the laundry on the weekends.  There is a mountain of it on the bed by the time I get to folding the few loads I manage to wash and dry during the week, and oh how I hate doing it!  Putting it in the washer and dryer doesn't bother me, but the folding and putting away just feels like a never ending task.  I especially dislike matching up socks; there always seems to be a few without mates and it is an age old question about how that happens!  You put 2 socks in the hamper, the washer, and the dryer then only one comes out.  Where do they go?  It's one of life's great mysteries.  Anyhow, laundry is one of those tasks that we must do--clothing, bedding, and towels don't wash themselves, that's for sure!  Last weekend I saved it all for Sunday because I decided that I wanted Saturday to relax and do as I pleased.  In the morning we took Hillary to an art and crafts activity run by a nonprofit disability advocacy organization, and while she was crafting I helped another parent stuff envelopes for the group's annual fundraiser.  So I didn't feel too guilty taking the rest of the day off!

And so it was that in the afternoon I spent time outside on my favorite seat on the back deck with a paperback novel and some iced coffee.  It was a beautiful day, very warm for the end of September, and blissfully absent of the sound of lawn mowers and leaf blowers.  I think it's important to take a day whenever possible to do something that you find enjoyable and restful.  For me that usually involves a book and a beverage and some quiet time.  Being outside with those things is a bonus!  It's so pleasant to read a bit, then look around at the trees, the sky, birds flitting from branch to branch and just appreciating my surroundings in general.  I spend so much time during the week running from task to task both at home and at work that I need a lazy afternoon on the weekend to recharge a bit.  My life is full, and I'm not complaining, but a break is always most welcome.  It helps my brain function better, and gives my body time to recoup from the weekday demands.  One thing I know for sure is that housework will still be there waiting to be done when I get to it, and that there's always laundry.  Unless you're a nudist, but that's another story.

There's Always Laundry

         You know there’s truth in that title.  I can spend an entire day doing laundry and at the end of the day there’s not an empty hamper in the house.  I know I’m not alone, it’s a common subject around the lunch table, and goes without saying when you ask someone what they did on the weekend: laundry.  We try to find ways to cut down on it, wear your pants 2 days in a row, going out for the evening?  How long did you really wear that shirt?  A few hours? Heck, just hang it back in the closet as long as nothing was spilled and you weren’t perspiring!  Just think of all the extra time we’d have if we didn’t have as much laundry to do!  One day as I was loading the washer for the umpteenth time I began to think that perhaps being a nudist would be a great way to gain some extra time for enjoyable things such as book reading or a hobby.  As I considered that I soon saw a flaw in the plan.  Nudists surely have laundry too.  No, really, think about it.  Wouldn’t they want slip covers on all their furniture?  What if you had fellow nudists over for a party?  You’re not going to be standing all the time, I’d want fabric slipcovers on everything; all those naked butts on the couch?  Yuck!  I’d have to constantly be washing all those slip covers.  Even if say you gave everyone a towel to sit on, or some type of fabric mat they’d still need to be washed.  You could ask everyone to bring their own, but you know how it is—there’s always someone who would forget.  So, I guess I’ll forget the whole nudist idea and keep looking for sales on detergent and softener and try approaching the laundry as a hobby.  Sure, and maybe join Pintrest and post creative pictures of the baskets of laundry, I could even start a laundry as a hobby club!  We could do a tour of Laundromats; make a list of the ones with the best snacks in their vending machines or best proximity to food establishments!  Boy, this is going to be great—oh wait, got to go, the dryer just stopped.