Things I take for granted part 2 : Washing machines

It's Saturday. You roll up your sleeves, gather all the sheets, clothes, rags and towels and bundle them up in a big batch. You mount the bundle on top of your head, grab your washboard, your

pack of lye, your bristle brush and prepare for the 6 mile walk to the river bed to put in a good 8 hour day of work washing it all. In much of the world that's still the way housewives clean the family's garb each week. It's back-breaking labor and almost none of us in the modern world have ever experienced it. 

I even left out the wringer used to wring out the water, and then having to carry all the wet clothes back home to hang on lines and waiting for a good day of sunlight so they can dry. Not to mention that if it rains or snows you have to start the process over again. It's quite ridiculous to a westerner that this is even a reality anywhere in the world. What's funny is that it's likely that your parents or perhaps grandparents can remember a time where they had to do something similar. Most likely though they had plumbing inside the house and they filled up a few tubs with warm water and saved themselves the walk to the river. 

Knowing this, it's incredible that we complain about having to do laundry. I literally have to walk about 8 feet and dump everything into the machine, hit a couple of buttons, and then watch 30 minutes of TV while millions of scrubbing bubbles magically and gently wash the grime out of my clothes and magically soften the fabric.

So next time you have to do laundry, pour your self a glass of wine and give a big hug to that massive white box that does all the work. And for the love of god, stop bitching about having to do your laundry.