I’m about to share some crazy behavior with you, so don’t judge…
When I’ve been hurt/wronged/depressed/injured/ill or felt bad in any way at all, I absolutely must wash the clothes worn during the pain. It doesn’t matter if the pain is physical or emotional, it seems to me that the negativity of the experience attaches itself to my clothing. For me, the only acceptable course of action is to launder the clothes to eliminate any remnants of the pain.
You might not think this is a big deal, but sometimes the clothes just aren’t dirty. And sometimes I’m wearing a dry-clean-only article, and that’s money, y’all. And even if the clothing is machine-washable, that’s still water and energy – down the drain (along with the bad vibes).
I don’t know when this particular behavior began, as I’ve been doing it for most of my adult life. And now I’m carrying it over to Mister. After his biking accident this past weekend, I was desperate to get the clothes he’d worn that day into the washing machine. I couldn’t stand knowing those clothes were carrying the weight of that accident in their fibers. Yes, I know – cuckoo.
I don’t know if you ever saw an old episode of “Tales From the Dark Side” back in the mid-80s, titled “It All Comes Out In The Wash.” In this particular episode, some a-hole is using the services of a creepy laundry service to wash away his bad behavior. As long as the dude has a pile of fresh, clean, unsullied shirts, he can just wear himself out being a terrible human being. As soon as the shirt he’s wearing becomes too full of his douche-baggery, he takes it off and puts on a new, sin-free shirt. (It all comes back to bite him in the butt, but you know, before that happens, it’s pretty interesting.) Maybe seeing that back in 1985 had an effect on me. Maybe not. Honestly, I just don’t know.
Either way, I’m happy to report the dirty laundry has been handled and all the hoo-doo is gone. At least I hope so anyway. And if you happen to have a similar behavior in your quiver, I’d love to hear about it. I don’t want to be the only dirty laundry freak, you know.
Whatever works for you, works for me — I’ll have to try it. Sorry to hear about Mister’s accident – hope he is feeling better.
He’s doing pretty well, thanks. Ice, compression and elevation seem to have been key, especially in the first 48 hours. And yes, getting all the hoodoo out of the laundry seems to have helped, too, if only psychically…