Here are a few of my observations:

1. We all have laundry. Some is dirtier than others. Putting dirty clothes with dirty clothes just makes a bigger dirt pile. Mixing dirty clothes with clean clothes brings dirt to the clean. The good news is that once the dirty clothes are washed, they are clean—no matter how dirty they were to begin with. I equate this to cleansing, forgiveness, making amends, paying attention to who we hang out with and how we choose to spend our time. By no means is this judgment. I have a lot of dirty laundry myself and I also know that the cleaner I keep my heart and soul, the better friend I am and the better I take care of myself. It matters.
2. Time matters. If you add coins to the dryer BEFORE it runs out, you can add on more time. If you wait until it stops, you have to start all over from the base amount of $2.00. This reminds me of filling our cups. If we make sure to continue filling our cup before it is completely depleted, it is much easier to keep going and show up. If it is completely empty, it’s harder to start over and often consumes way more energy! Taking time to fill the cup matters. Time matters. There is a “just right” amount of time for a lot of things in life. Too much or too little of it gets us off track.
3. Planning ahead matters…sometimes. If a person waits to purchase the detergent at the laundromat, it costs A LOT more. Planning ahead to purchase detergent, softener and other laundry supplies would probably save enough to pay for the actual washing. Sometimes it is great to be impulsive and go with the flow. Sometimes planning ahead can save money. This is an example where planning ahead matters.
4. People of all backgrounds do laundry at laundromats. I was fascinated by all the uniqueness I was able to experience in such a small space in a smaller community. I love diversity. I wanted to learn from everyone in the space.
5. For the love of laundry. Some people really do love doing laundry. I could see it in the eyes, the passion, the care in the handling of clothes and the little organizer bags with the things “to do” while at the Laundromat. For some, I can see that this is a regular outing—even one to be enjoyed. Perhaps it is truly a love of laundry or maybe it is simply a choice to choose to enjoy the experience. It has to be done, so why not enjoy it?