Gratitude in the Laundry Room

I just spent the last 45 minutes folding clothes. As I look at the top of my dryer there is more laundry to be done. As I look at the basket of clean and folded laundry, there is still more to be done. As I look at the laundry baskets filled with dirty clothes I sigh and leave the laundry room for fear of becoming a casualty. Being buried beneath an avalanche of a mix of clean and dirty clothes is not beyond the realm of possibilities today.
I can’t imagine I’m the only person who’s ever gotten behind with the never ending task of washing, drying and folding laundry. Have you ever thought about the times when you’re on top of it all and you’re holding it all down and there are no clothes stacked anywhere? What’s going on in your life when you’re managing the laundry (and the rest of the house) like a champ?
I took a few moments to reflect on my answers to these very questions and here’s what I came up with: My husband goes TDY for 2, sometimes 3, weeks every month. When he’s away I’m like an automaton. I’ve got the laundry, dishes, kitchen and meals all planned out and synchronized. Not one moment is wasted. Every minute is accounted for. I’m quickly preparing dinner while one daughter is at play practice, the other is at The Boys and Girls Club and the baby is with me. There’s no time to sit and watch TV while popping bonbons as if I had nothing else to do. To quote Sweet Brown, “Ain’t nobody got time for that!” It’s not a perfect process, but it is a relatively well oiled machine.
When my husband is away I'd like to think I could be nominated for "Best in Laundry". So, what happens when he gets home? I slack off. I relax. I don't get as far as popping bonbons on the couch, but I do get out of my routine. He’s home, so I’ve got back up! I can take a breather, right? And that’s when it happens! That is when the laundry- piles -up yet again. Then it's back to rushing to empty then fill the washing machine when I hear from upstairs, "Mommy, I have no socks!" or "Mommy, do you know where my hoodie is?"
Many of you reading this can relate to this sort of cycle. Some of you are dads and others of you are moms and even grandparents. What this tells me is that it's a relatively universal experience. An experience that we should all give thanks for even if it can be tiresome and a bit maddening at times. If we didn't have any clothes there would be no laundry mayhem, so I think I'll keep the occasional mayhem around a while.  What all this says to me is be grateful that there are clothes to clean and be extra grateful when they pile up. The pile itself is a sign that we have more than enough.

​What else surrounding laundry can we be thankful for? Leave a comment. I'd love to hear from you!

“If you concentrate on finding whatever is good in every situation, you will discover that your life will suddenly be filled with gratitude, a feeling that nurtures the soul.” — Rabbi Harold Kushner