Into this sad and rainy month I must inject a note on the passing of a devoted major home appliance. Though not unexpected, the loss of Admiral ATW4675XQ0 leaves a profound silence in the heart of my home where a guh-chugga-chugga-chugga-UH-guh-chugga-chugga-chugga has been for almost seven years. Recent interventions with alternative longevity therapies, chants, and decals couldn't forestall the inevitable.
Acceptance.
Our meditation instructor has suggested we practice in happy places, "not in the laundry room." The comforting distraction of a smoothly agitating appliance can be a fine focal point for meditation in my experience, so I disagree. The rhythm is not that different from focusing on our breath.
Simplicity.
The Admiral was the lowest-priced pound-with-rocks-at-the-river-bank washer Home Depot sold in 2011 when the Kenmore left this realm. It served selflessly through all seasons. To every thing turn turn turn there is a cycle. A time to gather stones at the river...
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, a time to reap that which is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.
© 2013-2017 Nancy L. Ruder
