My Washing Machine Broke

Today I washed some of my kids’ clothes by hand.  It took me a full hour in the morning to wash it using an ultra detergent liquid soap. 

I took a break.  Boy, my back is aching.  I don’t know how much calories were shed off.  I know I did and I’m glad.

I sat down and played with my kids. 

So many thoughts played back in my mind while I was washing.  I realized how important my washing machine was.  Had it still working, I could’ve spent my time on some other things that are much productive “moneywise”.  But then I convinced myself  that it’s part of being a wife.  If something doesn’t work right, I have to do something to get by.  I couldn’t just sit down and wait.  I have to be resourceful.

Of course I can always go to the laundymat but I didn’t choose to.  We could always go to my inlaws’ house and use their washing machine but my husband’s ego is too high that he is so reluctant to do it.  I guess I just have to wait till we get a new one.  Hopefully, soon.

When I was a kid, I remember my mother wash our clothes by hand everyday.  In the place where I grew up, people wash their clothes in the streets because the water pipe is there.  That is why my father was always pissed because the front of our house was always wet. 

It seemed so inconvenient but that washing time gave them a chance to chit chat and forget about their troubles.  Some of them washed clothes for other people to make a few bucks so they can buy their next meal.

This washing time gave me a time to reflect.  Aside from benefiting from it as an exercise, I realized that I’m doing it for my kids.  I thought of washing as a menial job.  I have relied to washing machine all this time because I needed to get things done fast with convenience.  But hey, it’s not bad at all.  At least for the mean time.

I decided to take a break and continued rinsing for another full hour after launch.  When I got done, I just wished I had that old time wringer because I’ve used up all my energy wringing the clothes so I can put them in the dryer.

I wonder how our grandparents did it all by hand?