Our washing machine is out of commission again. I'm washing things by hand + taking advantage of the dry heat to dry our dripping clothing outside. I'm only two days in, but I'm choosing to enjoy the laundry in its altered state for the time being. This task comes with a little space to think + here are a few of the thoughts that have surfaced:
We considered just purchasing a new washing machine (since we've already had to have this one fixed three times in ten years), but we're going to try to have it fixed again before giving up the ghost. Our space is not big enough for any conventional washer now available(!), so concessions will have to be made when we do purchase a new machine. We will have to go with one of three options:
We only use the dryer for towels + sheets, and we now have towels that might hang dry well enough. We only have one set of sheets for each bed, so they do need to dry in between sleeps. If it's only sheets that require a dryer, maybe going without a dryer is more of an option now than ever. The house I grew up in had clotheslines strung back and forth across an entire room in the basement...hmm...
I appreciate having a mindset that allows me to feel that there are options, when confronted with decisions like these. I appreciate feeling that there is space to learn from not having things I have come to see as "necessary". It's nice to be reminded that I don't need to wait to experiment either. I can experiment without waiting until something breaks. I could experiment with not using the car for a weekend...not using instagram for a month...or not complaining for a day. These limitations can actually expand possibility... weird isn't it? :)
Love,
Jane
- keeping up with this task is more important than ever + having less clothing to begin with prompts washing more regularly which keeps the pile (+ the task) from getting to large + overwhelming
- choose to wear clothing that will serve me through all the tasks of the day + night, since I'd like to wash as little as possible
- what can I wear more than once even on these hot days?
- the merits of certain fabrics: linen can be shaken out + worn again..it dries faster too
- seeing how much water it takes...how many times can I reuse this water?
- the electricity used as opposed to time spent with my thoughts
- each person can do their own laundry (+ connect with all of the above too) :) (I usually combine everyone's clothing, because it helps me have full loads often enough.)
We considered just purchasing a new washing machine (since we've already had to have this one fixed three times in ten years), but we're going to try to have it fixed again before giving up the ghost. Our space is not big enough for any conventional washer now available(!), so concessions will have to be made when we do purchase a new machine. We will have to go with one of three options:
- a more expensive, European machine
- a smaller capacity stackable set
- doing away the dryer
We only use the dryer for towels + sheets, and we now have towels that might hang dry well enough. We only have one set of sheets for each bed, so they do need to dry in between sleeps. If it's only sheets that require a dryer, maybe going without a dryer is more of an option now than ever. The house I grew up in had clotheslines strung back and forth across an entire room in the basement...hmm...
I appreciate having a mindset that allows me to feel that there are options, when confronted with decisions like these. I appreciate feeling that there is space to learn from not having things I have come to see as "necessary". It's nice to be reminded that I don't need to wait to experiment either. I can experiment without waiting until something breaks. I could experiment with not using the car for a weekend...not using instagram for a month...or not complaining for a day. These limitations can actually expand possibility... weird isn't it? :)
Love,
Jane
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