Watching the world go round, ..Observations at the Launderette

I found myself at the launderette this morning because I had to wash some sofa covers that were too big for my washing machine at home. I found the experience very therapeutic. There is something levelling about a launderette, everyone who walks in has the same thing in common, we are here to do washing and we need to be here to do it.

I found the sense of community comforting, as well as the monotony of sitting and watching the washing go round, and the world go by outside. I had to be there for that forty minutes it would take to complete my wash, and in that set time there were riches to be found.

I observed a young man walk in, utterly terrified and at a loss of what to do, he seemed like a young student who was away from home for the first time. He was helped by an older woman, who seemed to be a regular. She showed him which machine to use and where to put the money in. She smiled at me and wished me well on her way out. In the middle of a bustling city, there are people like this lady who quietly go about their business and bring comfort and reassurance in the littlest of ways. It was so interesting to watch people first come in, floundering, not knowing how things worked, and then watch them figure it all out, and then settle in for the duration. Here we all were, literally airing our dirty laundry in public, some surreptitiously, and others taking their time, folding each garment thoroughly before putting it away. As I sat and watched my machine finish its spin cycle, I felt myself return. The world seemed safer and more ordered somehow and I returned home with optimism and renewed hope.