Take Me Back Tuesday: It's On The Line

The blue sky above, the heat from the sun, the soft gentle breeze on my skin, the sound of birds singing in the trees, the calmness that comes over me and soothes the spirit. These things are among the many pleasures that come from..........

.......clean wet laundry piled in a basket, a bag of clothes pins and a clothesline in the back yard. A simple pleasure really, but one that brings back lots of memories from childhood and also allows me to reflect on my everyday happenings today.

We live in a world that is in fast forward mode all the time. We are programed to get things done quickly, the easiest and the fastest way possible. We learn to take the path that requires very little energy from ourselves to get to the end result the quickest. Let me give you an example.

About a month ago, we were appliance shopping and I was dreaming of owning a pair of the new fangled front loader machines. Oh, the ones I wanted were top of the line, of course, with a top of the line price. When I looked at all the performance statistics, the one thing that stood out with the dryer was the fact it professed to drying a HUGE load of laundry in only 10 minutes.


I thought about that one....10 minutes to dry a load of laundry....that registered with me that once I put the clothes in the dryer I had only 10 minutes before I had to return to the laundry room to fold and put away that load....and all of a sudden, the appeal was lost. I dislike so much folding and putting away the laundry that all of a sudden, that was not a great selling point for me. Truth.

So for now, I have put that dream aside. Things can be bigger, faster, and prettier, but that does not mean it is the best for me.......

Often times, for me, I get so caught up in the daily grind of living I forget to slow down and enjoy the journey. If you are like me, let me say this, a clothes line will solve a lot of these issues. For me, once I take a basket of clothes out to the line, things slow down drastically. All of a sudden, I have time to think, ponder current situations, and relax in the warm sunshine without a care in the world.

One by one, the clothes are hung to dry and during this process, I have lots of time to think. Whether it be about someplace we have been or someplace we are dreaming of going. Sometimes thoughts of my family, friends, or thoughts of total strangers flood my mind. It is a slow down process, time to think, time to ponder the questions that plague my mind, time to leave the worries of the day right there in the sunshine.

It is a very therapeutic process and one I am so thankful to be able to enjoy. I know some think this is so old fashion and think who in their right mind would hang clothes on a line in the year 2010. I say, that these folks are the very ones who need to experience a slow down process and stop and enjoy the little things.

I remember as a young girl, we would spend the weekends at my grandmothers house. There was nothing like the smell of freshly laundered sheets as we snuggled into bed at night. The smell was intoxicating, fresh, clean with a hint of sunshine. No other place I ever remembered had linens that smelled that fresh, only my grandma's house. Along with the sheets, the towels were always soft and smelled just as good as the sheets. In fact, if you opened up the linen closet, the freshness filled the small space. I never really questioned that fresh laundry smell until I became an adult. I wondered why my laundry was not that fresh smelling and how it was I only remember that from my grandma's house.

The answer was so simple, it made me smile.....Downy fabric softener, a clothesline and sunshine. If you have not slept on freshly, line dried sheets in a while, you have no idea what you are missing. Do you suffer from sleep apnea? I am certain a freshly made bed with sunshine dried sheets will have you sleeping like a baby in no time.

But don't take my word for it, ask Dora. Now, if I can come up with a solution in keeping wiener dogs out of the laundry basket of clean clothes, I will have it made.

Thanks for stopping by on this Take me back Tuesday.....simple memories from a much simpler time. These days, sometimes when you least expect it, the past will sneak up on the present......slow down, relax and smell the fresh laundry....I'd hate for you to miss out!