When I first got married (nearly 32 years ago) my husband and I were at the mall. I was asked if I would take a few minutes to participate in a survey. I agreed. I was taken to an office and was asked a series of questions about laundry. I had been married less than a year. My husband taught me how to do the laundry. In fact, that first year, I was working full-time while he went to school so he did all the laundry. I hadn’t yet formed strong opinions about laundry. They probably should have been asking Danny the questions.
The questions they asked were things about whether I considered the feel of my laundry important, or the smell. They wanted to know what kind of detergent I used, how often I did laundry, etc. One question they asked has stuck with me all these years. I think about this question just about every time I do laundry. They asked what my satisfaction level was when the laundry was completed.
At the time, I thought it was a silly question. Satisfaction from finishing laundry? There were just 2 of us. We didn’t have that much laundry to do. What kind of satisfaction could a woman possibly get from finishing the laundry.
Things have changed. Over 30 years and six children later, I find no greater satisfaction than to know that I have completed the laundry. Seeing empty laundry baskets makes me happier than it probably should. It doesn’t happen often. Usually by the time I’m sort of finished there is a pile ready to get going again. Today, I finished the laundry. It has been a good day.
