Sharing

Welcome again!

Today, my Ol' Three Faithful Readers, I would like to discuss with you a topic I believe to be of vital importance to humanity. Not only does this topic have special significance with our day to day activities for it also has to do with transcending our souls into the next plane of being. It is a topic that has recently been called to my attention by accident; an accident that at first was an annoyance but little by little it has become such an intricate activity in my life that now I long for it and desire it.

Laundry.

At first it used to be that I took my clothes to a laundry where they washed my clothes; I just packed my dirty rags and took them to the laundry shop, left them there for an old lady to clean and iron. The next day I would come back to find my clean clothes so elegantly folded in a tidy package. I paid the lady and came back home with a smile of realization on my face. See here, I will not deny all my childhood I have gotten used to just throwing my clothes in the bin and then either my Mom or the Cleaning Lady would wash them. So it made sense from that frame of mind that I would not, even by chance, do that chore by myself.

Until one day something bizarre happened: I forgot to take the clothes to the laundry shop. In a sudden surge of adrenaline, despair and horror as I stared into my empty underwear drawer I quickly took my dirt-smeared clothes to the self-service laundry and did the unthinkable: with both denial and uncertainty I pressed my clothes in the washing machine, dropped some soap on top of the clothes, put some tokens in the machine and pressed the red button to oblivion. Let me tell you, this was a complete odyssey for me from the moment I had to buy the soap. I mean... what's the difference between them all? Blech? Color-safe? Softener? Conditioner? What does all that mean! The words just did not make sense to me! Add the fact I had no clue how much soap to put in... should if go on top of the clothes or in the little receptacle in the washing machine? What's with the little towels people put in? Is there a God? And if so, why has he beget such pain upon this poor soul that I am?

Over time I have learned the difference between all those words, the amount of soap I should put in, the right amount of time in the dryer, what those little towels are and so on and so forth. Take it from me, there are so many variables that washing clothes should almost be considered a science.

But all that is just besides the point. The point is that over the months I have washed my own clothes there has been other people around when I am doing so. More so, some of us tend to go the same days at the same time each week, always meeting, never speaking much. But sometimes we do. We tell each other stories. At first we began having conversation of why the washing machines are always occupied; then we shared cloth-washing horror stories, we gave each other tips and how-to's. We've shared each other's soap, bleach and softener when we do not have enough. And think about urban self-laundry shops where women get together to chat, gossip and socialize; oh! All the stories that must have been told at laundries! But we have also shared something more important, more primal and more intimate.

Dirty undies.

No, I don't mean we put each other's dirty undies. What I mean is that as we load our dirty clothes into the washing machine we are sharing our dirtiness out in the open for all to see. Many a time have I seen women put their bra's in the machine, men put their hairy boxers; and just as many times they have seen me put my sweaty shirts in the machine. Are you able too see the significance of this? Usually we do not let people see our intimate clothing. Women worry their panties show when they sit, or if their cleavage is too big, and so on and so forth. But at that moment in the laundry they do not care. We do not care. We share our human condition with one another. We lose our shame and accept each other as we are.

Would it not be nice if we could change the context to something bigger? Instead of sharing dirty undies, sharing our souls? When instead of helping each other clean his pants, we could also help ourselves to clean our lives? Because we are all humans. Because we all smear mud on our clothes. Because we all sin. Because we all share this planet; share our lives. Because we are all brothers of the same conditions. And then, on that day we will not be ashamed of who we really are, of our undies, we will let the world see our clean undies for what they are, see our true clean souls. Our humanity.

Also, a salute to all the Mothers and Cleaning Ladies out there that keep our clothes clean. They are the complices of our shame and our dirt. We salute you!

As for me... well... I enjoy watching dirty, cute pink undies.