work in progress
I was sorting out a pile of washing (again) this morning and realising (again) that I had too much for one load. I asked myself (again) why it felt like the washing was NEVER finished. The truth is unless I was dead, or wore the same thing day-in day-out (sometimes, believe me, that does feel like an option) then there will always be washing to do. It’ll never really be finished.
I’m realising that of course the same thing is pretty true for the rest of my life too. Yes, sometimes projects are finished, but mostly they’re not. They are merely works in progress. If I spend more time doing them, rather than wanting them done then the faster they will grow and develop. If I stop constantly looking at the endgame and enjoy the play then it’ll certainly be A LOT more fun.
This is something I am trying very hard to learn. Yes, there is a moment’s satisfaction when a goal is reached, when a piece of work can be sent out to the world as finished as it can be, but it truly is short-lived. There is far more chance of long-term satisfaction if I can learn to derive it from what I’m doing rather than what I want done.
Time to put that load of washing on…
March 28th, 2005 at 2:53 pm
I have two, rather messy children. They are older now, (10, 14) and despite the fact that they used to have MORE stuff, it was little…now it is big. Laundry is a part of my life, and it courses through like a pulse, never ending.
I love the smell of fresh laundry, and the feel of it , warm, from the dryer. I hate putting it away.
On difficult days I must remind myself that at least I don’t have to go out to a river and pound the clothes on a rock to get them clean. Sometimes that works, other times, well, it doesn’t.
Keep your eye on the mail, Michael…sumpins coming your way!
March 28th, 2005 at 4:33 pm
WASHING SUCKS! IT IS THE MOST TEDIOUS THING I HAVE TO DO.
sorry, was I shouting that? I hate housework, I hate laundry, I love cooking but not every day….. you get the gist… and I can’t even imagine having to do all that suffering from me/cfs… it’s a shame we can’t all afford house robots.
March 28th, 2005 at 5:27 pm
Very astute observations. Being a stay at home mom, I had to come to the same conclusion about finding joy in the doing and not only in the finishing. Laundry is never, ever, ever “done”.
March 29th, 2005 at 7:40 am
Thanks for sharing your dirty laundry with us - know just what you mean.
When I move house next month, we’ll have a washer-dryer, such luxury - you put the load in when you go to bed, set the timer, it washes it, dries it [all on Economy 7 too], and it’s there, all warm, fluffy and clean, waiting for you in the morning.
If only other things in life could be that easy - go to bed with a problem on your mind, set the time, wake up, problem solved, purified of all negativity, ready to go. But, as you point out, there’ll probably be another load ready to go before the day is out!
Oh yes, now you’ve got me thinking, oh and thanks for the happy birthday too.
See ya…
March 30th, 2005 at 7:22 pm
I hate washing too - mostly because I have to carry it all to the launderette across the road, and having me/cfs too, it’s not very often that I feel up to it. Thankfully as it’s on the doorstep I can nip home while it’s washing or drying and put my feet up (unlike those poor people who have to sit in there for hours waiting). A washer-dryer of my own would be a Godsend!