On Life and Laundry

I envy Sisyphus and his simple task rolling that stone up the hill. Piece of cake. Any woman who has the stamina to endure kids and cats and dogs and laundry could handle a rock no problem. Tonight I battled the laundry. The clean clothes were piled on the loveseat as tall as me. I folded and folded and got it down to just below the top of the sofa. And tomorrow, when the children come down to get ready for school, half the clean clothes will end up in a jumbled mess on the floor. Rolling a stone up a hill, piece of cake.

 

The mysteries of laundry amaze me. I buy socks, very often, yet I can never find any. Fortunately, tonight the sock gods smiled on me. While not folded, they lay on the ironing board ready for me to match up a pair in the morning. I've often thought of hiding my socks, I'm just afraid that I'd forget where I put them. Before I had kids and cats and dogs, I always had socks.

 

Once upon a time, I ironed clothes. When Sarah and Garrett were babies, I would spend my Sunday afternoon ironing all their little play clothes. The babysitter might judge me if they came wrinkled. I walk past the ironing board several times a day. It mostly holds stuff that I might need later, like socks provided by the gods of hosiery. A cluttered ironing board is really convenient for reasoning to myself that my clothes really don't need to be ironed. If I shake them out and they are still wrinkled, five minutes in the dryer should do the trick. Besides, won't they be wrinkled by the time I get to work anyway. I use the same excuse to avoid fixing my hair in the morning, it'll be a mess by the time I get to work anyway, push snooze a couple more times instead.

 

Some days I threaten to move into a tent in the front yard. It would probably be cleaner. Fresh air would be good for us, well maybe not. If you have kids and cats and dogs, you know exactly what I'm talking about. If you don't have kids and cats and dogs, you can borrow mine anytime. They do chores, if they want to, and can sometimes be bribed by quarters and dollars. Everybody should have as much fun as I do.

 

 

Author's Note

published in the August 2009 edition of The Other Herald (http://www.otherherald.com/)

Reviews

[...]

. ha ha ! ... your wit astounds me ... it sparkles in almost every line in this piece of writing ... oh, what a slice of life it is ... brutal and yet so charming ... you are one hard working dudette ... the beauty of it all is not just in your words but in your being you ... i loved the last line especially ... though my life is different from yours, sometimes i wish like saying that to the world ... "everybody should have as much fun" as everyone else ... this was a spectacular read, emily ... maybe just the piece i needed to read right now ... oh, and i do wish a million more naps ... i know you slog a lot ... so much that sometimes i wish i could actually stop you and plead with you to rest ...

[MOON]

A housewife's work is never done.

[Lilith des Cavernes]

This is so true! I haven't ironed in so long. I figure the warmth of the skin will ease out most wrinkles anyway. LOL And socks... where do they go? I blame it on the drier faery! She's a hoot! :-) Ah... no wonder so many women suffer from depression... our work is never done. Love to you

[T. F. Rice]

Everyone SHOULD have as much fun as you do! No need to borrow yours, I have my own kid and dog and other kid (I mean husband). It goes without saying that I enjoyed your little story of homelife...

You know, I tell my son if he doesnt do his chores Iwill make him pay ME what I pay him because I have to do his chore(s). I've never followed through, but I still might. He's 12 so we've just started the difficult years...

[Katarina Bondinell]

love.

[closed]

lol, this is cute.

It's like this quirky, kinda sarcastic....

mom story....

which I...would know nothing about...

interesting.^^

Dream.

[J. Swaney]

Great Piece and it incourages me to appreciate my wife even more. When we first married I went into the laundry room. I wanted to help and be a hero, I really did. Later I was ask in a very loving tone to please keep out of the laundry room and that although she appreciated my effort she had a certain way that she did things. Since then I avoid the laundry room with the superstition that the pilgrims showed to suspected witches. Now that we have moved to the country my shirts no longer go to the cleaners, they instead go the the line and still look neat as a pin, I secretly suspect that she avoids ironing. Anyway thank you for this look into the rituals of laundry.

[Ken Simm.]

Being male I am obviously not competent to comment on this. Although I have been a single parent, briefly. I will say that I am in awe of your many talents Emily to reach such heights of creativity under such restraints beggers belief.

[bluessadmood]

oh doing home stuff ,like cleaning ,washing clothes and more ,much more i did all these things when i was alone at times when i was yemen and some other countries alone ,i knew how it must be difficult for women to do all these stuff and go to work and raise children and take care of her man and keeping her household in order ,and i could go on forever ,i always admired women ,for above that they keep their cool all the time and they are much more patient than men ,troubles they do handle them so effectively,they never complain nor do they get fed up ,yes really women do amaze me....

[Samuel Dickens]

Due to having been a "Mr Mom" for the last several years, I can understand your position very well. Not just laundry, but housework in general is an awesome chore. So much of our lives are comprised of the simple and mundane, it's refreshing to hear those things written about in a way that is interesting. Your daughter speaks to you in German? Thanks, Emily. I enjoyed this. Sam