A strange thing happened this morning as I was eating my toast at my fav HOT SPOT in my tiny bachelorette pad….
The ‘finale song’ of my washing machine, which I previously would have described as one of the most annoying sounds in the whole wide WORLD (dramatic I know, but true for me), left me with a smirk of appreciation mid vegemite bite.
Instead of rushing to end the washing machine song, I simply enjoyed and embraced it’s piercing tune with a brand new knowing!
My washing machine, which I’ll call ‘Al’, has its own story.
It was a second hand purchase from a Westie Bestie (also named Laura) a few years back. As my friend embarked on her new living adventures, I collected her necessary white goods for one of my many moves around Victoria.
Knowing Al’s previous owner is a pretty reliable kinda gal, I used my washing machine frequently without ever giving it much thought or attention.
My poor dad who has helped me move over 4 times since I originally collected Al, always asks me the same unanswerable question on moving day…
“This is the last move for a while isn’t it Laura?’’
I can’t lie, so my answer remains a non verbal nervous smile which we both know the meaning of.
During the second wave of COVID lockdown in Victoria, Old Mate ‘Al’ decided to go on annual leave.
Without a word of warning, Al refused to work and was letting off an electrical smokey smell which I wasn’t confident I could handle on my own, regardless that I live next door to a fire fighter!
Due to our heavy restrictions within this global pandemic, there was limited access to a ‘washing machine technician’ or ‘my dad’ during this time. So, I took to the local laundry mat and once a week, with my face mask on, I would take Al’s business elsewhere.
I’m all about adventures, big and small ones, so I turned my mid-week laundry mat rendezvous into a mini adventure.
I walked streets I hadn’t walked before, found my favourite dream home in a nearby suburb, I got coffee from a hipster café nearby, I listened to podcasts while waiting in the car and I recently spent 20 minutes on a swing at the park while I waited for my ‘work from home’ clothes (active wear) to be washed.
Adaptability being the word of 2020, meant that going to the laundry mat each week became as familiar as wearing a face mask is now. This additional restriction which Al ‘imposed’ upon me was making me live in an alternative way that was more effortful then jumping out of bed and throwing everything in the wash. Something, like lots of things, I had totally taken for granted.
After 9 weeks of laundry mat visits at $6 a pop, my dad eventually popped round and checked out what was going on with Al?
As he scanned the white goods, he found the hidden culprit’s! This included; a $2 coin, a few pegs, a bunch of hair pins and a few other rusty collectables which now live in the bin.
It was clear I had neglected Al through a lack of washing machine care and as a result he’d broken down.
After a Ricky make over, we tried and tested Al a few times and sure enough (fingers crossed) Al is working like a dream.
Although it’s early days with Al and I back together, I know the learning that has taken place for me/us.
Similar to lots of lessons learnt in 2020, you never really appreciate or take care of what you have until it’s taken from you.
During this year, we have had freedoms as simple as a coffee with a friend, a date, a family dinner, a visitor, a road trip (over 5km), a hug or a walk longer than 1 hour, stripped from us over night. COVID has shown us all just how fragile life is and how adaptable WE CAN BE as humans.
With my new knowing smirk, I walk over to Al and calmly turn the finale song off with appreciation.
I’ve made a promise to Al and myself that I will take better care and appreciation of him as well as the simple pleasures and relationships which are most important to me. I will remind myself to be grateful each day for what I have, because we never really know what’s around the corner.
Now I’m curious….
What’s your washing machine wisdom that you’ve grown a greater appreciation for?
And with this new knowing, how will you choose to let it influence the way you act/behave moving forward?
Let’s not let the lessons learnt this year slip away without the attention and reflection they deserve.
Here’s to many pearls of wisdom ‘Al’ around us… (is that a dad joke??)!
Simple grateful BLISS
💛
SimBLISSity 