Laundry

[Euf]

Sometimes when I?m feeling a little restless, a little melancholy, a little lost, I?ll do a load of laundry.

 

Yes, I will repeat that. *LOL*  I will do a load of laundry to cheer myself up.

 

This has been in the back of my mind the past few years.  The realization that when there is a sunny breezy day (especially the kind of day with a wind that is likely to blow some dog hair off of the clothing hanging on the line) doing a load or two of laundry and hanging it on the line seems to improve my mood.

 

Doing the laundry is one of those endless chores.  Wash, Dry, Put Away, Wear, Wash, Dry, Put Away, Wear, Wash  . . .

 

It?s not that I ever thought ?I hate doing laundry?. I never actually thought about it one way or the other.  You want to have clean clothing, you do the laundry.  The putting away part was often lagging behind the washing part. Sometimes instead of making it into a drawer, the clean clothes sat in a laundry basket until I needed to wear them. But sooner or later, one way or the other, the laundry got done.

 

On and off I?ve wondered about my newfound love of doing the laundry.  Today I figured it out.

 

It is an ordinary thing.  A thing that needs done.  A thing I used to do. Still do.

 

And I guess the whole purpose of this post is to say that I have realized that if he would just come back, I would not only do the laundry, but I?d get it put away. I?d even iron his underwear if he wanted me to. I?d bleach and I?d pretreat stains and I?d make sure my fabric softener put a smile on his face. I?d be thrilled to do his laundry. Really. Just give me another chance sweetie. I?ve been practicing. Instead of dying, come look at these clean clothes. Doesn?t that make you wish you were here?

 

Disclaimer: this is not a serious post. At least I don?t think it is.  He has been dead 9 years.  I have kept on doing laundry for those 9 years.  I really don?t think it will make a difference one way or the other. But just in case, I am ready with a smile on my face when faced with laundry.

 

Come on home honey.  Your clothes are so clean.  LOL

 

[Bear Tomás]

I find doing laundry very zen.

[Guest Lost35]

Good Lord, I feel the same way about doing the dishes.

 

Really. 

 

The day it happened, before I knew it had happened, I left the dishes to the last moment, secretly hoping he would be there and we could do them together, because I hated it.

 

My "death dream", where he said good-bye and couldn't speak, started with me, in the kitchen, doing dishes.

 

Maybe that's why I threw most of them against the walls that day...I hadn't put this all together until just now!  I've HATED doing them since.  I can't tell you how it felt to move into a house with a dishwasher!!!

 

Oddly,  one of the milestones of mine, in terms of feeling more in control of things, was the choice to stop using said dishwasher, and going back to doing them by hand.  Every time I do it, it's a statement.  I even agreed to sell the dishwasher (for far less than it's value) just yesterday...

 

And the few, ratty, dishes left from my night of gleefully smashing the most of them (most therapeutic!) were recently put in a back cupboard as friends replaced them as a gift!

 

So, here I am, with my sparkly clean, new white dishes, with no chips or missing bits and there you are with your clean and sparkly laundry and iron-at-the-ready...

 

I get it.

 

 

 

-L.

 

[mmg19]

Loved reading this post today.  I confess that I love doing laundry and dishes.  These are the two chores that were therapeutic to me the first few months.  As long as my hands were busy and I felt useful I did not think about the pain in my heart.  It has been said that habits are formed from repetition.  Now at almost 2 years I still wash dishes by hand.  The dishwasher has not been run in months.  When a grief wave begins the bed is stripped, towels collected from bathroom and I do laundry.    Never have I been accused of being OCD but laundry is folded and put away immediately. 

 

This post clicked in my head.  LH loved fresh clean sheets and fresh towels in bathroom.  I'm doing that because I want everything ready should he return.    Now I feel better with this confession.  Thanks EUF and Lost35.

[Catnip]

I even dream about the laundry! Here's my dream:

 

Derek Jeter was at my house (!) asking me to sit down next to him on my couch so we could watch the Yankee game on TV. I sat for a few minutes and then jumped up stating I had to go do laundry! I returned and he again asked me to sit next to him. I did but only for a few minutes, again getting up to do laundry.

 

What's up with this dream? I get a handsome, young man interested in me and I push him away. Even Derek Jeter can't compete with my husband I guess. Sorry, Derek.

 

[Guaruj]

What's up with this dream? I get a handsome, young man interested in me and I push him away. Even Derek Jeter can't compete with my husband I guess. Sorry, Derek.

 

This dream suggests that, subconsciously, you are a Boston Red Sox fan.

 

|+|  M a r k  |+|

[Catnip]

bwahaha

Red Sox Fan?

NOT

[Virgo]

I guess we all find a place to escape. I have plenty of laundry at my house if you ever want to travel for your escape. I did 10 loads today!!

[Justin]

I find doing laundry very zen.

 

Me too. There is something about being able to look at your tangible accomplishment, however small.

 

However, I hate doing dishes. Go figure.