Coming Clean . . .

City Mouse Now Country MouseNo. 6

Laundry has never been "my thing." I honestly believe that the first time I did my own laundry was at the end of my first week at college. Yes, college. Mom wanted me to do "my stuff" throughout high school so while I helped with cooking and other household chores, I never did laundry. So, that meant that I learned to "do" laundry from the lid of the washer in the Trent basement coin-operated laundry room. Just one more skill that Duke gave me!

At any rate, now that we are at the Woods, we do not have our own washer and dryer. Our little cabin was designed for three season getaways--which means retreating, not daily living. Therefore, we have to do our laundry at the spa/sports complex. Here is the laundry room--$1.75 to wash and $1.25 to dry. I have no idea how these prices compare those those elsewhere but as I recollect from my college days, it always takes too many quarters.

So, yes, you can do your laundry and workout at the same time. This is precisely my routine. My workout is now one wash and dry cycle which translates into about 60-65 minute sessions, three times a week. At first, I chaffed against this routine--I was used to doing my 5K run/walk and watching "NCIS" or "Bones" or "CSI: Miami" to motivate me along. The wash cycle takes 30-38 minutes (depending on the type of cycle), which means that I am at the point in the 5K when I am doing more running that walking. ARGH! I have to pause the Cybex, run to the laundry room, and switch the load to the dryer. The dryer cycle is 25 minutes--regardless of the setting. Most of the time, the laundry isn't really dry-dry when the cycle finishes and depending on the load, I decide if we have to go for another 25 minutes. I figure that I am going to be really fit by the end of the winter at this rate!

Honestly, I would like to tell you that this is a grand adventure--something fantastic like the Swiss Family Robinson or funny like the sit-com Gillian's Island but the truth is it's neither of these things. It's tedious and time-consuming. But it has made me appreciate the washer & dryer I had for so many years--even if I rarely used them. It is the conveniences that one misses when things change. In the immortal words of "Hard Habit to Break" by Chicago:

I guess I thought you'd be here forever 

Another illusion I chose to create

You don't know what you've got

Until it's gone

And I found out a little too late

Source: http://lyrics-a-plenty.com/h/hard_habit_to_break.lyrics.php

I think the lesson for me is in learning to appreciate the little things--the every day things. As a result, it is in this appreciative state that I am experiencing growth. I'm not just learning to run but I'm also coming clean in the process.