"The lesson [Henry David Thoreau] had taught himself, and which he tried to teach others, was summed up in the one word 'Simplify.' That meant simplify the outward circumstances of your life, simplify your needs and your ambitions; learn to delight in the simple pleasures which the world of Nature affords. It meant also, scorn public opinion, refuse to accept the common definitions of success, refuse to be moved by the judgment of others. And unlike most who advocate such attitudes, he put them into practice." (Walden and Other Writings by Henry David Thoreau--Edited and with an Introduction by Joseph Wood Krutch, Bantam Books, 1962, P. 1)

Thursday, April 19, 2007

Doing the Laundry

I'm doing three loads of laundry today. Not an unusual thing to do. But a good thing to do. Life is made up such loads of laundry, and I am happy to do it. I love the water showering into the wash tub, the rhythmic plodding of the machines, the quiet clicking of buttons on the walls of the dryer cylinder. I love the colors of the fabrics, their wet heaviness, and the warm softness of the laundry just dried. And I love the result: clean clothes and towels ready for use. It is no small thing to me to be blessed with lovely laundry to do. For me, it is one of the simple pleasures of life.

2 comments:

Alyssa said...

Welcome to the world of blogs! It will be fun to keep up with all your doings. If I had more time....I might actually keep up on mine!

We are planning on having Caden start a blog for school next year. I think he'll enjoy it!

Meredith said...

Very pretty photo! What a rainbow of colors!

Glad to find your new blog.