Monday, July 26, 2010

Laundry Buds


laundry, originally uploaded by michelle*sibley.
The photo challenge today was "Holes". I posted this picture. No, the subject of this photo is really not holes (even though the laundry basket has holes). Rather, I posted it because I liked it. To be honest, I don't know why really I like it so much. It is an ordinary simple life chore. For some reason, this moment of two young (mostly spoiled type) people working together on a menial task like hanging clothes  captured my imagination. Instead of telling them how  I would hang all the blue towels together neatly on the front row....  I think The blankets should be hung straight and neat by matching the corners before pinning them on the line. And, certainly if there are any underwear to hang, I deliberately hang them on  the middle clothes line. Because, a) never on the front lest anyone can see them hanging front and center in clear view, or b) never hang undies on the back line because the neighbors can see the unmentionables through the cracks in the fence!   HUh? !!! The heck you say! Do I really think that my neighbors are going to peer at our underwear?  Hardly!   We have the sweetest neighbors we could ever hope for.  I'm just saying that thought crosses my mind and as a result, the unmentionables get tucked behind the bigger items.  Who really gives a flying poop-de-doo what our undies look like anyway?  Seriously, I did a Chester Cheetah head shake as I type this because I realize how those silly little idiosynchysies can pop into our consciousness.   OK, don't go getting all holier-than-thou on me...I know you have a few silly little hang ups too.  It is called being a human being.  We have to learn to call out those poison darts as they really are.  All lies from you know where!  Hang ups are hang ups whether  goofy like the one I described or an ominous phobia that gives you night sweats.  Know what to do about that?  Shake, Shake, Shake it off and start living!  About any fear (or goofy hang up) ask yourself..."What is the worst thing that can happen?"   Talk out the answer even if it is to yourself.   Usually, we can snap out of a hang up as quickly as we got trapped if  we can realize a paradigm shift.  Go ahead, think of one of your silly hang ups.  If you can't think of one right now, some day when it pops up on you unexpectantly, I hope that you remember to do your own Chester Cheatah head shake.  Rattle the rocks in your head hard enough to make you get back on track with what is real and important. Real and important?  That would be living and loving friends and family.  Accepting people for who they are, warts and all.  Then, your own warts won't be so noticeable, even to yourself. 

Did I get off on a tangent or what?  I think I did.  So, I will hop back off my soap box...(pun intended)... and continue with my laundry story.  This is where I quickly realized that I need to get over my useless idea of what is the right way to do a simple thing.  Also, I  figured, if they are going to volunteer to wash and hang the laundry, I should let them.  And, that I should also let them do it however the heck they darned well please. And, so I did and so they did.

I shot a series of photos of Kayla and Trevor hanging towels and blankets in the backyard...no faces....just legs and shadows. Then, puppy Mia pops into the mix.  I like the anonymity of these.  It could be anybody, anywhere.  Also, the shadow play behind the pink blanket was pretty cool. 
p.s.  Kayla walked up on me while I was working on this post.  She squinted her eyes and looked closer.  She said, "WHAT in the world?  Are those MY legs sticking out?"  She just laughed and walked off.