Recently my parents regained a functioning septic system after a long year of...well, making alterations. During all of this we would frequently reflect on how easy it is to take our conveniences for granted--like washing machines and good plumbing.
I distinctly remember how giddy I felt returning to the states after 4 months in Central America, and flushing toilet paper down the commode at the Miami Airport. FYI: this is not done in C.A.! (And in other third world regions, I imagine.) Such a small thing, but a huge change from what I was accustomed to.
Well, reading my aunt's post the other day about laundry prompted me to write this tribute to my washing machine. Silly I know, but oh how I love this modern marvel. Not only do I love that it works well and is dependable, but it's on the first floor. If you know me, you know how easily I can forget about it, especially when it was in the basement at our old house. And that only results in nasty smelling stuff that needs to be rewashed. (Aunt Jeanie: I don't even want to imagine the smell of J's "rain-washed" towel. :-P GAG!)
ANYWAY, my point of reference starts here:
These pics were taken in the late 90's while I was on a YES team to Honduras. That's me at the "pila", a raised cement basin with crushed stone ridges that really did a number on our clothes. (Tim's exasperated look about sums it up. "How much longer will this take?!")
It literally was a process that took multiple days. First you'd soak your clothes in soapy water for a few hours. Then you'd take the bar soap and brush and scrub them in the pila, rinse, scrub, rinse, rinse, and rinse again. The hardest part was ringing them out--especially jeans. This is why we had few clothes and we wore them until they were unsightly. What else could we do? There were dirt roads everywhere and it was the dry season! Finally it would sometimes take up to 3 days for them to dry on the lines outside. We were under a canopy of pine trees and then there were the occasional rain showers.
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Today as I consider how easy my life is in comparison, it's still hard not to forget those lessons learned and complain when my life takes an uncomfortable turn. But I must remember...I must consider those whose life is more difficult than mine...and recognize the Source of everlasting joy and contentment, despite my circumstances.
Thank you Lord for my many, MANY blessings...including my washing machine. :-)
4 comments:
I know when it took almost two weeks to (or more) to repair my washer, my love for it grew greatly! :) Ha, the things that inconvenience us, yet is normal life for others!
Great post, Krista. We do have it SO GOOD!! I'm old enough to remember doing laundry with a wringer washing machine and rinsing tub, and hanging everything on washlines to dry because there was no dryer.
And about Jeremy's laundry tip from his trip to Jamaica - it wasn't just his towel he did that way - it was all his clothes, including heavy-duty jeans. Everything smelled like mud, and then he spilled cologne in his luggage on the way home, so everything had those two smells mixed together. It was horrible, and to this day, if I ever smell that cologne on anyone, I feel like throwing up!
Yeah, I'm even thankful for my Korean washer/dryer combo that takes FOREVER to do a load. At least it works (and my clothes will dry in a day hanging on my wash line).
yes, washing jeans (and towels!) like that were definitely not fun and VERY hard on the clothes; yet I still maintain that my clothes never were cleaner than when I did them on the pila, and sometimes I wish for one when hubby shows up with VERY dirty pants! :)
you have inspired a post idea for me: "life in mexico"!
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