The fine arts of keeping a home are slipping away. So much of life is disposable. It is planned obsolescence. Nothing is built to last. Applicances do not get repaired, they get replaced. And why not….Best Buy has a sale on the new top of the line appliances. We race around at these break neck speeds to get where? To do what? Is there a destination? Do we ever get there? Would we even know?
I actually like to clean. I am a freak. I like a well kept home. I do not believe in a home that enslaves you, but I am convinced that the proper home does not own you. The home that focuses on the easy and “fast food” world is trickery. It gives the illusion of ease but it is a trap. Ease comes from having space and time, which comes from permanence. I think you can find high quality in items that are temporary and disposable, but true value lays in longevity. I think value lies resides in the effort of living. I am not advocating WORK. Indeed, we work too much and overvalue the process of work in this American culture. We discredit the cultures that value leisure and ease. I suspect when compared, we are equally productive. I would be more satisfied in my efforts if I felt that leisurely endeavors were not an extravagance. And I think ironing is a leisurely endeavor. (I know…freak of nature).
I want a life that pauses. I want a life with luxury. But luxury is not extravangance. Luxury is quality. And the ability to fold my laundry just so and iron that basket of linen shirts. I will not sacrifice wearing linen simply because it wrinkles the minute you button it and breathe.
How far down do you iron the pleats on the back of your men’s shirts?
A few inches below the locker loop but I knew a young man once who ironed all the way to the tail of the shirt. His grandmother gave him specific instructions and he honored her by being quite precise and following them.