Unless of course, it’s your new Pottery Barn duvet cover, which doesn’t appear to have any washing instructions. As long as I can remember, I’ve hated doing laundry. Especially when I lived in apartments where you had to go downstairs with your over-stuffed basket (socks and underwear falling off the top) and then walk what felt like a mile to the laundry room. As if that weren’t bad enough, it always seemed to be raining on those rare occasions when I did decide to make that trek. Oh, and lest we forget about all those lovely people who take your wet stuff out of the washer because you happened to get there two minutes after the machine completed its cycle. So back then, I had an excuse. Although I wonder if I had attempted to do laundry more often if it would have been less stressful. Like one load a week instead of 10 loads in one day. I think while less efficient, given the amount of effort it took to get to and from the laundry room; it would have been worth it. When I did finally get an apartment that had a washer and dryer hook-up, guess what? I still did 10 loads in one day. And it was such a chore. I finally realized that doing one load a week is much more manageable. And now, I have clean underwear all the time (mostly).
Word to the wise: Always having clean clothes (not to mention clean underwear) feels nice. And looking at a half-full laundry basket instead of one that’s brimming over the top won’t make you feel half empty.
So is doing laundry just about doing laundry? Note: If I’m lucky enough to get a book deal, your comments may be published anonymously in “Wise Before 25, 50 Things Young Women Need to Know.”
Yes, yes, a thousand times YES! And substitute for “laundry” any other chore that can be done in 10 or 15 minute bite-sized chunks. Not wanting to do it DOESN”T make it go away, as I’ve finally learned, dang it! Wish I had figured out, along with all the other things you have to figure out as you get your adult footing in your 20’s, that it is better to just accept these small maintenance unpleasantneses and get good at getting them out of the way without fuss, instead of rebelling against them and acting like a baby about it.
And it only took me 25 years to figure it out, too! But still, what did I do today? Like 10 loads of laundry…But hey, I just moved into my new place so it sort of piled up. 🙂 One more load is still going. And I have like one more I think to do tomorrow. But boy, those clean sheets and towels are worth it! Thanks for your insightful comment. And I feel like being a baby today, but I can’t 😦