Pressing Out the Wrinkles

I know I have blogged about my life as a formal wear consultant (gee, that is a fancy title for a not really fancy job!) many times. This post is not really about the formal wear shop or the six years I spent there, the people, or the fun times. No, this post is just about my day...standing at the ironing board for hours on end. That is a memory that lives forever in my brain from my formal wear days.

My child spent the day away from home, glorying in the bliss of having grandparents follow her around and cart her to the jumping house and anywhere else she desired to go, I am sure. Even better for her, she gets to do it again tomorrow with my parents...can someone look up the word "spoiled" in the dictionary...I am certain my child's picture will be there...quite certain!

Because she was out of the house and my husband was working, I had a rare day all to myself. Most any other week, should this happen, I would be sure to call a friend and schedule lunch or some other fun afternoon activities...but not this week. I have much to do. Today I cleaned out my child's closet and tried to ready her wardrobe for the upcoming school year. GAG - did I really just say that...I hate that the sentence is even in my brain...school - phooey!

I ended up with a clean stack of laundry, the old stuff deemed acceptable for one more season of wear and tear and clean stack of new clothes, bought last weekend. ALL of it needed ironing. Generally, I am not one to stand and iron for time on end. It was one of my chores from the aforementioned formal wear days and since then, although I love to iron, I don't like to spend long hours doing it. I am generally an "iron as we wear" type of person. I am feeling the pressure of a new life schedule and routine upon our little family and that had me resigned to a day's worth of ironing to make sure mornings run a little smoother than normal - at least for the first week of school.

I sat up my ironing board, readied the steam iron, grabbed the spray starch and the hangers and best of all, popped in a dvd of a season of my favorite tv show. The time really did fly past quickly, my mind was empty for awhile, which is a state of being that I have craved for the last few days and although about half-way through the stack of laundry my back started to twitch a bit, I kept going.

By the end of the day, the clothes were ironed, hung and ready to be worn. My back was aching, my feet hurt and I was really happy to put away the iron and the board. I went back in time in my mind and thought of all those days I spent ironing and starching shirts, getting them ready for wear on the weekend. It was always a fulfilling task to complete and today, even more so.

I readied my child's clothes but I pray I have readied her heart and spirit more. I pray that I have taught her well enough to handle the change next week will bring to her life.

Living Happily In the Moment
Bev