Transformation-Surprise

This has been a week for me to think about how to handle stress. Larry and I have had to get ready for the pest control folks to come spray our townhouse for the mite invasion. We were instructed to wash all of our clothes and textiles and seal them up in bags in the garage. They also suggested that we keep them there until after the second pesticide application in 10-14 days. It helped a little that I already had thinned down my clothes before we moved. Larry did the same. I also donated old towels and bedding. However, I sew and have a fabric stash that has been stored one wall over from "ground zero"--the site of the most obvious infestation of mites. That meant that I needed to wash all of it along with our clothes. I needed a good laundromat to make a success of it. To my surprise, I found the perfect place! Just a couple of miles away from us is a very special laundromat called Transformation-Surprise,. It is run by followers of Sri Chinmoy, who blessed it himself during a visit a few years ago. It is full of positive energy. The woman who works there helped me unload my car, figure out which washers to use for what, how much laundry powder was needed, and which dryers were best. The place is very clean, which I appreciated when I dropped clean clothes on the floor. It has free vegan cookies and filtered water and pleasant, soft music playing in the background. I couldn't have imagined a nicer laundry. I left there with a feeling of gratitude.

This experience of 2 solid days of doing laundry led me to think through successful ways to handle stress. I found that it helped to break the job down into smaller parts, instead of focusing on the whole job. In other words, I tried to focus on the "now" instead of what I had to do for the rest of the day. At the laundromat, I got to know some of the fellow customers in addition to the lovely attendant. We helped each other pass the time and make light of the work. I had an enjoyable conversation with a women doing a month's worth of clothing for her family. She had just moved to town and finally got around to finding a laundromat. She told me about her challenges and dreams. In most situations, you can find something positive if you look for it.

In addition to "living in the now" as a good way to cope, I also asked family for help. We couldn't stay in our house after spraying for at least one night, maybe two. Both sister Penny and cousin Joanne were happy to issue invitations to us. Larry decided to stay in Seattle with Penny, while I left town for a stay with cousins Joanne, Gordon, and their grandson Charlie. On the drive up to LaConner, I had time to decompress and think about all the textiles I handled. I decided that I should give myself a special birthday gift--I will give away 60 more things to celebrate turning 60. It should be easy. I don't need all my fabric stash and clothing. Instead of moving it upstairs again from the garage, I will donate 60 pieces from it. It is nice and clean now. I want to keep living with less.