John's Washing Tale

"Oh man, wash day again." "Here goes the tale of washing and drying and just getting it done."

John can be anyone who hates the idea of washing and drying, of folding and pressing clothes that need to be treated and handled in a distinct way.

John gets frustrated by the thought of having to wash and dry and all the various choices that have to be made just to get and keep his clothes clean and smelling fresh.

"I sure hate the idea of shopping for 50 million choices for laundry soap and dryer sheets." "I hate the idea of after picking out the best of each, then I have to wait in line to purchase my said choices and then drive back home to decide how and when I will wash and dry, treat and handle my clothes that need to be taken care of."

John wishes there were an easier way to do this. He wishes there were an easier way to think about it, and it happens. John states, "Yeah that would be a dream come true, but that is actually wishful thinking."

"So, I am standing there, in front of my washing machine, looking at all the buttons that need to be used to do a simple washing, that's after I have sorted and loaded them into the washing machine." "It can get old really quick, mind you that I am not made of money to go out and buy new things all the time, just because I don't want to wash my clothes."

"It becomes the same routine that brings me down and I feel it in my back and my arms and legs too." "Seems like a harder chore to just wash my clothes in the first place." "No need to make a huge deal about it now, huh?"

John is standing there, lost in a moment of silence before finding the very buttons to start his washing and placing the laundry soap in with the laundry so they will smell wet, fresh, and clean after they have been washed.

John sees the still half full basket that lies on the floor near his right foot. He rolls his eyes and sighs. John says, "This is the biggest problem of washing clothes." "The more I wash and then dry them, there is always more to wash and more to dry."

John continues, "Then there are the clothes that have those special tags on the collar, either hand wash or delicate fabric, which is another whole day of either washing them in the same machine that I wash the first load in or by hand."

John sighs, "It is a chore if I have ever felt doing a job or working." "Maybe I am making a big deal about washing clothes, but that is only half of it." "Then there is the drying, which is another long chore too."

John sees washing and drying, treating and handling of his clothes as less of a neccesity and more of a have to. It can be very tedious and trying on one's mental frailty. It can drive someone insane or make them want to take the clothes out back to burn in the burn barrel.

John stands up, looks around, and says, "This is not so bad, especially when I get the first load done and in the dryer." "Then the second load is less of a chore." "Yes, I even smile at myself", grinning. "I know I am making a huge deal out of this, and I am making it harder on myself for complaining about something that needs to be done eventually."

John heads towards the washing machine, unloads the clothes that are presently inside. He makes his way to the dryer that stands beside the washing machine, loading the dryer and starting the ritual that same way he did with the washing machine.

Then as John finishes loading both, he smiles and says, "I am happier now than I was before." "I am halfway done with the clothes in the washing machine and have at least started with the dryer's first load."

For what seemed to take forever, John heads back to the washing machine and dryer, unloading the dry clothes from the dryer, then placing the washing machine load into the waiting dryer.

He seems content with the idea that this job is extremely hard and very time-consuming. John says, "I put in the necessary dryer sheets needed to make my clothes soft and fresh smelling." "Wait you didn't need to know that did you?" "Sorry I lost my train of thought for a minute."

John, it appears, has taken a magazine in hand to read but only skims the pages for anything of interest. He looks up from his magazine, looks towards the washing machine and dryer, waiting patiently for them to both complete their cycles.

John is now looking back at the camera, winking at the camera, then looking back down at the magazine, sighs.

John knows this day will be over soon. All he accomplished was letting the world know his tales of washing and drying clothes. To most it would seem boring at best. To John it is a necessity of life and daily matters to be handled. The washing and the drying, the treating and handling, all are part of a process that needs to be taken care of.

Repeatedly John finds his life revolves around the idea of purchasing the laundry soap, the dryer sheets, the making sure to read the labels on each item, so that it can be treated and handled in the best way possible.

Today, John did not have anything special that needed to be treated and handled with care. John says, "It can be a chore like anything else that makes one's life the way it is or can be." "Life is like a cycle, going round and round with no beginning and no end."

This is the way John decides to do his clothes, washing them and drying them, treating them, and handling them with care so they can remain as new as they were when he first bought them and will allow him to wear them as long as they hold up before buying new ones to start this washing and drying cycle once more.