Life Skills

Yesterday it was dishwasher’s, today it’s another domestic chore, laundry and its distant cousin, ironing. I do the same thing with my clothes that I do with my dishes, wear them all until they’re gone, then wash. That means big loads, because, well, I’ve accumulated a lot of clothes. Of course, my choices narrow as time goes on, and that might be a bad thing. I believe my wife washed more than I do, but I never really kept track. Another husband blind spot.

Anyway, I finally made it through my latest laundry campaign, got everything folded and put up. With the exception of several shirts. They are now in the mix because my daughter-in-law, bless her heart, is trying to upgrade my wardrobe. Most of my shirts are of the type that can be washed, dried, and hung up. These looked as though they needed ironing. So, I popped up the board, hauled out the iron, and got after it. Another skill my mother taught me. It was oddly satisfying to push out those wrinkles, straighten those collars, and iron around the buttons.

I can see where it would be a burden to do it a lot, and when I worked, my clothes always went to the cleaners. But in the Navy as a young man, I was my own man, and I even knew how to starch my shirts. So, this was a real throw-back day, and it felt sort of good to know that once upon a time, I was on my own and managed to survive and maybe even look decent while doing it. I believe that might be considered a small victory, the sort upon which, one can construct a satisfying life if you accumulate enough of them. Like knowing how to fold a fitted sheet. And I do.

John W. Wilson is the author of The Long Goodbye: A Caregiver’s Tale