Relationships With A Side of Bleach

6 July 2015...Clothes that make me happy

I opened the dryer door and pulled out my favorite set of sheets. The sour smell made me crinkle my nose and swear! There's another .75 cents for the damn swear jar! That dry cycle went for two flippin' hours! Laundry is not my favorite domestic goddess chore and having to do the same load twice makes me cranky. I kicked the door closed and cussed some more. We have a mountain full of dirty clothes that were neglected over the holiday weekend by way of more fun pursuits, and the new washer & dryer won't be here until Thursday. I shudder to think of  how much laundry will be creeping out our bedroom door by then. To soothe my mood, I head outside to write, but that sour stench is still stuck in my olfactory system! Ugh!

As I take deep breaths in an attempt to replace the ick smell with rain soaked flowers and grass, it occurs to me that laundry and relationships have a lot in common. Over time our relationships become stained with harsh words, hurt feelings, happy adventures and other experiences. Much like our most comfy clothes, they also get worn with time, in both good ways, and bad. My husband has confessed it makes him happy being my "favorite pair of shoes", because he knows that when I need him most, I'll always reach for him and it will soothe me, make me happy (...he also has a thing for what he calls my "sexy feet", which is not appropriately rated for this particular article). Some of the relationship stains we create come out with bleach, while others seep into the fabric and remain, faint but impossible to ignore. Fabric softener and dryer sheets help assure a fresh scent to clean laundry most of the time, but if left unattended won't cover up sharp, bitter smells that sink in with neglect. We often wear our relationships until they no longer "fit" us and then discard or donate them if they're still in "good condition" (...the image of this makes me giggle, as I imagine standing in a Goodwill holding a random "ex" by a coat hanger and offering him up to some bright-eyed cutie, telling her, "Here ya go. Hope he looks better on you than he did on me!")

After putting a new load in the washer and praying it won't take all day to dry, I slip into one of my favorite pairs of jeans that fit every curve just right. I pull on a soft, bright t-shirt in a happy colour that makes me smile and already feel better. Relationships are like that, too. Some of them hug you in all the right places and make you feel like a million bucks! On an old episode of Oprah about making your life more simple and happy, she advised her viewers to get rid of everything in their wardrobe that wasn't their "favorite thing to wear". We should totally do this with our relationships, as well, because let's face it...bleach can only do so much before it's time to say, "This just isn't going to work in my closet any longer."