Laundry Stories

During the Arlanza "On the Line" event raffle, I engaged in conversations with people who entered their name. The topic of laundry is something that could be seemingly insignificant, but the stories I gathered show us how meaningful laundry can truly be.

One of the stories that stood out to me was that of Young Oh. He was raised in South Korea and remembers seeing his mother hunch over to wash clothing regularly. The constant strain on his mother's back caused her to need surgery. Oh expressed how grateful he is for his mother's effort and care. It made him want to pursue a career as a doctor and cure people who were sick like his mother once was. Oh's family found that in order to make their mother's life easier it was necessary for them to purchase laundry machines. He then explained that laundry machines are a luxury to him and his family. Young Oh's story made me realize that what may seem as something common in one part of the world, may be a very luxurious item in another. Most importantly, however, I learned of the undeniable sacrifice that mothers are willing to put for the care of their loved ones. 

Another story that comes to mind is that of Azeem Rahman. He told me that in England, where his family is from, there is almost always rain. Hanging clothes on clotheslines can be a very frustrating chore because the clothing may never get dry. Relative to the weather we have in California where it is mostly sunny daily, England can rarely enjoy "nature's dryer"; the sun.

In addition to these two stories, a couple of people expressed that doing laundry is very soothing. It is as if with every new change of  freshly washed clothing there is the start of something new. Another said that he dislikes the disappearances of his clothing in  the dryer. Having one sock without its pair can be frustrating. Ultimately, we all have at least one laundry story that has, in one way or another, shaped our perspectives on aspects of our daily lives.

Azeem Rahman (Far Right): winner of Arlanza raffle