Karla’s Korner: Life and Laundry – An Unlikely Comparison

I am proud to introduce a new column to Madame Deals! I think we all need a touch point a place we can go to be inspired. Karla is my children’s teacher, a good friend, and a person with a heart of gold. I hope that her words will inspire you to do more. We are only as good as the people we surround ourselves with. It is important to listen with your heart and proceed with your eyes open. Enjoy! Check out all of Karla’s Korner articles here.

Life and Laundry: An Unlikely Comparison

I hate laundry. No matter how hard I try there is always a pile of dirty laundry waiting for me to wash dry and fold. This never ending chore seems to haunt me day in and day out. As I was plodding through the tedious task of laundry this week I had to ask myself “Do we really need all of these clothes, socks and towels?” Seriously, there are 4 people living in our house and we have at least 20 bath towels and I alone have two drawers of socks and only one pair of feet! If I were honest, I would admit that I have had some of those towels since my wedding 22 years ago. Why do I hang onto some of this stuff? What is it that makes me hesitate to throw old stuff away? Is it a memory and a connection to the person who gave them to us as a wedding gift? Why can’t I let go of the past associated with those old towels that are no longer used, but just taking up space on the shelf?

As I drag myself through the routine of wash, dry, fold, put away, pick up off the teenagers floor, wash, dry fold…etc. I find myself thinking about the cycle of life and how it similar it is to the vicious cycle of laundry. When we come into this world we are innocent, impressionable and eager to move onto the next phase of our lives. We learn to crawl first and gradually learn to walk, and run. We find ourselves entering school and wishing we were in the next grade only to find ourselves walking across the stage receiving our high school diploma excited to move into whatever our next choice is whether it is higher education or the work force. Our lives are in constant motion never allowing us much time to stay in one cycle, much like the dial on the washing machine. It seems that we want to keep moving and never look back.

When I graduated from high school I vowed to keep moving forward and not look back. I entered college, started working and met the man who would become my best friend and husband. As we set off on our life together we were already making plans for our next big adventure; parenthood. I never looked back; I had no need to. A quick four years later we started our family once again moving forward toward the next phase of our lives. Over the past several years I have found myself with the opportunity to reach back in time and reconnect with some pretty special people from the past. My husband has also found himself reuniting with old friends from his younger years which have brought back great memories from his past.

This past weekend I had the opportunity to spend a beautiful Saturday afternoon in the company of an old friend who out of the blue fell back into my life. As young girls in school we knew one another casually and thanks to social media we have reconnected as adults and are on the brink of creating a new relationship. Sitting in the beautiful Virginia sunshine with the cool mountain breeze blowing through the trees we shared lunch and our life stories of the past 27 years we realized that there are quite a few similarities in our stories. As we shared one last hug and a promise to get together again I realized that along with this dear friend and a few others I have reconnected with recently I have reached back into my past and re-started the cycle of my life. Much like the cycle of “laundry doing” I have hit the “wash” button on life and am starting over with old friends. As teens we think we have all the answers and often times make decisions about friends based on the frivolity of our young lives. When life cycles through, we often realize that the relationships from our past have deep roots which have pulled us back; not in time but into a comfortable reality that we do need to stay connected with pieces of our past.

As you rush through the cycles of your lives, try not to forget what has formed you into the person you are today. For me, I look forward to moving onward and upward in my life while hanging onto those relationships and experiences that have made me who I am today. I am ready to hit the “wash” cycle and see what comes next.

Peace,
Karla

Also, please visit Karla’s Lifetime Moms page and read her articles.