I sit at my desk and hear the dryer tumbling with its low and steady roar. Just a moment later, water whooshes into the machine that sits below.
Laundry—it’s a chore that never seems to end.
Just when you’ve put the last pair of pajamas in the drawer and hung up the last shirt in the closet, you turn your head to find the basket filled with the day’s dirty clothes.
Despite that it is never-ending, laundry is one of my favorite chores. Well, except the necessary sorting. The stinky towels and underwear are my least favorite to touch. But the act of putting the dirt and grime into a machine that washes it all away brings me hope of a new day.
When it comes time to fold laundry, I leave the clean clothes in baskets for far too long. Sometimes we dress out of clean baskets of laundry for an entire week, alleviating the need to ever put them away.
But on the days when I finally convince myself to fold it and put it away, it turns into a form of escape. I pop my noise-canceling earbuds in my ear and tune out the world. It is perhaps my most secret form of self-care.
Some days I head to a faraway island, to lay on the hot sand and swim in the turquoise water.
Other days I join a writing class and learn from the very best the field has to offer.
Some days I travel to a completely different world, one with fairies, dragons, unicorns, and any other creature that only exists in my imagination.
Other days I pretend I’m having coffee with another homeschooling mama, learning all her tricks and feeling encouraged by the way she’s gone before me in this homeschooling life.
And some days I simply fold in the pure beauty of silence. Praying and listening for a still small voice to come my way.
Where will you go when you next fold laundry?
This post is written in response to prompts from 40 Days of Writing the Everyday with Exhale—an online community of women pursuing creativity alongside motherhood, led by the writing team behind Coffee + Crumbs.
Like what you see here? Don’t forget to sign up for the Monthly Munchies Newsletter! Each month I collect all my favorite things from the month and send them straight to your inbox!