the art of folding laundry
Allow your mind to wander. Not
too long, and not too far away:
the task at hand requires just
as much attention as you give
it, but it isn’t helped by too
much thinking. Sit or stand before
the basket, back straight, breathing from
your diaphragm, and wait until
the pattern of the pile appeals
to you. Exhale. Inhale. Begin.
Pick up the shirt or shorts that are
the closest to you, or you like
the best, or wrinkle easiest,
and fold them first: in half, then thirds,
or halves and halves again along
convenient seams. When fabric wants
to lie a certain way, allow
it — coax, but never force, a fold
that does not want to be. Repeat
until the pile finds its shape.
Leave the socks for last, when there
is nowhere they can hide from you.
While pairing like with like, reflect
upon the symmetry of work
well done: if only for a time
much shorter than the trivial
perfectionist in us would like,
to fold an errant sleeve in place
can bring a kind of order to
the world, for this one week at least.