Miracle Wrinkle Remover!

This is one of those confessions that makes people question whether you have a life: I iron sheets. I iron dishtowels too but somehow that seems less heinous. I don't even like ironing (although it's much pleasanter now that I can watch TV while I do it and, oh yeah, have enough head room to actually stand up straight). 

I've been reading Home Comforts, and the author keeps going on about ironing sheets. My initial reaction was precisely the one I mentioned above, but eventually--and I don't know what came over me--I said "That's it--I'm trying it." 

And it is awesome. 

 I'm not saying ironing the bedsheets rocks my world, but damn they turn out soft. They don't even stay wrinkle-free for more than a night, but the softness lasts. Current weather dictates the use of flannel, and the iron turns that humble fabric into something far less prosaic. So now I iron sheets. 

I've made this confession to few people, laughing in embarrassment whenever I have mentioned it. But as I was standing at the board earlier today, I got to thinking. One of my pet peeves is how everyone seems to be constantly on the run*, always busy, never slowing down. I'm not pointing any fingers here; I'm president of the local chapter of Type A personalities. The thing with ironing, though, is that it's not a fast activity. You can't speed it up or rush it or make it exciting. It forces you to slow down, to be aware of what you're doing, to move with care and deliberation. It gives you time to think (never a bad thing in my book). 

And in the end, you've accomplished something, whether that's improving your appearance with a wrinkle-free shirt or adding some softness and comfort to your life. I don't know, but as far as I'm concerned, the life you have has to be measured by more than how full your day timer is. And you could do worse than breaking out the ironing board every couple of weeks. 

 *I'm not sure if it's a hazard of adulthood or just the age we're living in, but either way, I think we might all need to collectively slow down and take a breather once in a while.