something's circulating on facebook about how there oughta be a "fold" button on clothes dryers. so we wouldn't have to do it ourselves.
i disagree.
i wash and dry - and fold - abby's and eli's and the twins' and the triplets' laundry every day. the washing and drying part requires practically zero effort on my part. basically, i dump it in, pull it back out, dump it back in, and pull it back out. that's what amounts to "the chore of laundry" in 2012.
the only part that requires any effort at all (and "effort" is an extreme over-statement) is the folding. if they invent a button for that (and they will), i will be able to look God in the eye and say, "yesSir. i did help my fellow man. i pushed i-don't-know-how-many-buttons in my lifetime. all on somebody else's behalf. now, let me into heaven."
laundry is love, people. buttons aren't. (unless you're sewing them on.) laundry is love and cooking is love (the kroger deli is impressive, but it isn't love), and cleaning dirty baby bottoms is love. (although, i must admit, i would no doubt gladly push a button for that!)
there isn't enough love in the world anymore. if, in fact, there ever was. (actually, there was. i think it's called "before they eat that fruit.")
i remember my grandmother spending an entire day doing laundry. for a family of 4 - not that many people. in between doing laundry all day, she cooked all day - using the stuff from her garden that she grew all day. when it was all over and she could finally collapse in her chair at night, she would always sigh (happily) and say the exact same thing:
"work is love, nancy. and love is work. don't you ever forget it."
"besides", she would say, with a soft light in her eyes, "the privilege of burying my nose in freshly laundered grandchildren's laundry is a whole lotta "work," too."
:)
