The Tao of Laundry
March 13, 2006 at 4:15 Dedicated to Granola Grrrl 
Gentle Readers, this is not for those who brag they can take things from hamper to hanger in half a day but for those who linger on the journey from Unclean to Enwhitenment.
Now, in a perfect world, all dirty clothes would begin their journey in the hamper. But, as we know, the world is full of Suffering and only half the dirty clothes are in the hamper. Only you can decide if the hamper is half empty or half full, Little Ones.
You must ever be a seeker and seek that which you should find: dirty clothes may be next to the hamper, behind the hamper, on top of the hamper, on the floor of the bedroom, in the toy box, mixed in with clean clothes, piled on the trunk, sitting on a chair, or waiting on the basement stairs. The world is full of Confusion. As you can see, the first step down the laundry path is the hardest—identifying and gathering all that is Unclean and bringing it to a central place.
Next we must identify the true essence of our uncleanness. Even as we seek Oneness, we must divide to conquer. And so Little Ones, we sort. Coloreds from Whites. Permanent Press from Knits. Delicates from Heavy Cottons. Towels from Sheets. Warm from Cold.
The piles may stretch all along the upper hallway and cause dismay. Do not think of the piles as obstacles, they are an essential part of the journey, way stations in life. Inhale. Exhale. Release your tension. Accept that it may take days to move to Enwhitenment.
Yes, before we can ascend to the White, we must first descend into the Dark. Down, down, down the curving basement stairs we carry our burdens, one load at a time, and we become One with them. In the dark, all is crammed into the washer where the gentle tides of the front-loader will separate the dirt of the earth, the sweat of the body, and the stains of bad moments from the fabric of our lives. Turn, turn, pause. Turn, turn, rest. This is our Mantra. This is our life.
When will it end? When will the Laundress release us from our wishy-washy existence and take us to the next station on the path to Enwhitenment? How long must we sit? Minutes? Hours? Days? It is up to the Laundress to decide and no one, not ONE, has understood the mystery of her timing.
Finally, all is pulled coil by coil from the bowels of the Great Washer and tossed into the Dryer to be refined by heat and tumbling, to shed its Damp Nature, and unfurl all the creases of its consciousness. Remember Little Ones, the beep at the end of Dampness does not signal Completion. Be wise and know that it signals patience and waiting. One does not emerge from the Dark Place of Drying immediately, one may have to linger--minutes, hours, days--before one is freed.
At the right time, the Laundress from above will descend into the Darkness to lead you out to the Light. And yet the world is full of Uncertainty. If the Laundress is in a Great Hurry, only that which she desires in the Moment is brought into the Light and that which is not in that Moment becomes for a time Not Essential and is left on top of the dryer to consider its usefulness.
Yes, the road to Completion is long. Once carried out of the basement Darkness and into the Light, laundry often has ample time to be still and meditate in yogic positions on the sofa or the bed, to observe the sad state of that which is still piled on the floor, to wonder when its disorderly state will become ordered, when it will be permitted to rest in the everlasting comfort of neat Dresser Drawers or hang in bliss in the Closet of All that Fits.
Likely it will be moved once or twice before being folded into proper Alignment. And then once folded, it will experience yet another time of learning Patience and Surrendering of Expectations.
Will it finally reach the Bliss of its Proper Place in the World? Or will it be prematurely snatched from the laundry basket of life and forced to begin the difficult journey again, gathering dirt from the earth, sweat from the skin, and the stains of awkward moments?
Karma is a mystery. The cycle of laundry, like the cycle of life, is endless and sometimes exhausting. Have compassion. The Mighty Laundress feels your pain. She too is seeking everlasting Enwhitenment and an end to all suffering along the Lotus Laundry Path.
© 2006 Veronica McCabe Deschambault. All rights reserved.
March 13, 2006
Reader Comments (6)
I stepped over a basket of clean laundry to sit at my desk this morning. I usually force myself to fold it as it comes out of the dryer, but this particular basket has had a more arduous journey than most of the piles.
I sent the children's unclean clothes with them to Houston in a big duffle bag, so as not to keep the family Enwhitenment all to myself. With all the obstacles of that journey, the clothes returned home purified, but not folded. One of the children, searching for the perfect shirt, pulled all the items from the bag, throwing them hither and yon. The ever-patient Laundress (ha) gently insisted that the clothes at *least* be put in a basket to await their folding.
Today I shall contemplate the mysteries of the remainder of the laundry. :)
And you just reminded me that I have a load in the dryer :o)
:-)