The vintage quilt had gotten wet in the downpour, fieldside at that football game last week. Then, it had been trampled by footballers in the back seat, going in and out, day after day, to and from practice. A spin through the washer and a flop over the clothesline was what it needed.
I tossed it in the machine, added detergent, and thought about the laundry in the little house. I thought about the sports and messes and life; the dirty gear, dirty socks, and dirty clothes. I thought about how the laundering of the dirty falls more in step with general life now for us than it ever has.
I also thought about how I don't miss having a laundry room. How I don't have a proper laundry basket (the giant Bolga basket that holds throw blankets by the sofa doubles as a laundry basket just fine). How I don't even take the time anymore to sort heaps of soiled clothes into smaller heaps of soiled clothes - I simply pull the darks/whites/jeans out of the hamper in our wardrobe, put them in the washer, then call up the stairs "Bring all your darks/whites/jeans and toss them in the washer!". That's as time consuming as sorting gets around here. I thought about how good this is. Laundering is no longer an event, a monster, or a mountain.
I usually give the dirty laundry call-out in the evening, starting a load just before bed. Then, first thing in the morning, it's ready to be dried - on the line in summer, in the dryer in winter. After the clothes are dry, the boys fold and put away their own, which takes them less than five minutes, and I take care of the rest. And that tall boy of ours? He's now launderer extraordinare after having taken over care of his own laundery last winter. Can I say how wonderful that is?
Yes, we have smaller wardrobes now, or maybe I should say Yes! We have smaller wardrobes now! We're learning about this, experiencing as we go that it really is about quality over quantity. If a garment or shoe is cut well, made well, and makes you feel your best, that one piece is better than the ten similar, but inferior pieces that may be hanging beside it. A smaller wardrobe with nothing but quality favorites? I'm liking this goal.
I'm off for a weekend full of fun, surprises, and rest. Wishing you the loveliest, friends.
P.S. You might enjoy this post about laundry. And this wardrobe tour.
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