(For those of us who want relevance of what they knew and know)
What? Who even does that anymore? Some of us do and after this conversation you may find this an addition to your practice of what we call getting grounded and operating from our “center” rather than our head – which is already too full to be discerning anyway.
I may lose some folks here…stay and see. The important awareness is we CANNOT be all things to all people although most of us have tried – A topic for another blog if you follow.
Ironing is my meditation – always has been. I just did not realize it until a few years ago and that means it took 5 decades to put words to my experience standing at the board.
Why or how does this happen? Well, for those lucky enough to be doing their own cleaning, especially the “big-time” cleaning of yesteryear – it is the function of physical labor – perhaps the movement – that allows us to free the mind from the constriction of the myriad “have-to s’” of daily life and actually find creativity while doing what we term “mindless” work.
I think of ironing as an exercise, rather than what some think as exercise…playing tennis or running (not so much) – except for golf which can be a walking meditation. And it is not competitive or exhausting. This exercise gives you space to think and create. And you can do it at home and alone.
Personally, I cannot tell you how many revelations and ideas just float in (keep pen and paper nearby). Saves gas too.
And I haven’t even mentioned the “other” result of ironing – fresh, clean, natty “soldiers” in our closet or hanging on the doors waiting for their trip to the closet (kind of even makes you want to organize your closet).
Sometimes this is the ONLY ordered piece of our day, week and month. How much of what you do can be measured and appreciated like this?
Does ironing have a special season? Sure, Summer, that halcyon time etched in our brain from childhood of the good times expected or experienced – to this day, no matter what – is magic. There is more to iron – more ironing, more magic.
Back in the 70’s with the advent of polyester and the 80’s with wrinkle free, no-iron cottons, we were given the freedom to never bring out the dreadful “board” again. A loss indeed. Ironing makes us stop and not just think but to consider, expand and FIND something we are looking for – that elusive idea, the missing piece.