A Lesson in Mindfulness

Bob and I have a very nice laundry room in our home.  I did not realize how spoiled we were until the dryer went out.  We live full-time at a lakeside resort and there is a laundry room on the property.  In fact it is less than a block from our house.  But I quickly learned that dragging hampers full of wet laundry even a short distance in not fun.  The first two times I tried I hurt my back and neck.  After weighing my options I decided to take the laundry into town when I took Bob to the YMCA and dry the clothes at the laundromat while I waited for Bob.  Seemed like a great idea.  In fact earlier this week the laundry was all washed and ready to go when Bob decided he was not up to the Y.  Not wanting to drive into town just to dry clothes I decided to schlep them down to the laundry room.  But this time I did something different.

So what did I do?  The first two times I was trying to dry clothes while also trying to work online and prepare lunch, with frequent trips back and forth between home and laundry room.  It was a mess.  I was a mess.  Everything got done, but not well.  When I was finished I was in pain.

So… this time I decided to devote my full time and attention to the laundry.  I sat down and waited for the clothes to dry.  I read magazines.  I drank a bottle of water and had a nice conversation with a neighbor who came in to wash her clothes.  What I had been seeing as a burdensome chore became a welcome break.  And since I was not worried about getting everything done at once, my muscles did not tense up when I picked up the laundry baskets, and I was not in pain.

Another gentle reminder of how we create our own reality and a good lesson in living in the present moment.