Day 356: Folding Laundry
When I started this blog nearly a year ago my purpose was to cast a spotlight on ordinary things. Today what comes to mind is laundry. I have always loved doing laundry. I find the smell of clothing fresh from a warm dryer to be comforting. As I fold I think of the service which the item has performed and I often thank it. "Thanks, dishtowel, for helping to wipe the counters and dry cups." "Thanks, t-shirt, for covering Ron's body and keeping him dry when he runs." This might seem silly, but it reminds me of a relationship that I have with the ordinary things in my life. These clothes and towels DO serve me. It is fitting that I keep them clean and put them away folded.
You may notice that the two dishtowels in the front of this photo, one yellow and one orange, are folded differently. One sits as a square and the other is more rectangular. This is because I folded the orange one and Ron happened by while I was folding and helped. He folded the yellow one. He prefers this way of folding a dishtowel. In days gone by I would "correct" Ron and show him the right way to fold a towel. These days I have learned that we each have a right to fold the towels as we like. There is no "right way" . . . Life is easier when I don't try and impose my preferences on him. It's just fine to have things folded differently.
Your comments re the towels brings to mind the mantra "there are a thousand ways to kneel and prayer" which I repeat to myself whenever I want to tell people the "right" way to do things!!
ReplyDeleteYes, this is a great example. Aren't humans silly the way we try and control one another? Understanding this doesn't always make it easy to do.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for posting this!
ReplyDeleteIt reminds me of the time my mother and I would get irritated by how we slot the lock into our front gate differently (she does it right to left, I do it left to right). Now we just laugh about it, celebrate the difference & use it to tell if either of us is in or out of the house.