It’s a rare occasion for me to write about cleaning or ironing…unless it’s to show a mound of laundry

Wrinkle Free Living

on top of my dryer to express my frustration in keeping up with housework.

Today I come before you a changed woman, believing firmly in wrinkle free living, and the need to iron out the little things that matter.  And my life changing moment occurred the other day when my 26-year-old son, Alex, sent me a text message. 

It came out of the blue…without prompting…usually it’s only after he’s been MIA for a week or so and I text to make sure he’s okay…other times it’s my need to ensure he’s arrived safely at his destination during inclement weather…and candidly, “inclement weather” can include the sun rising, the sun setting…I think you get the picture.  It’s a full time job every day of the year!

I get this honestly.  My dad used to check on me all the time.  I still remember the slight annoyance thinking that my Dad didn’t believe I could take care of myself.  I realize now as a parent myself, that it has almost nothing to do with confidence in your children…and more to do with a slow self realization that somewhere along the way, that they grew up and you missed the part where your life transitioned from constant champion and guardian, from sun up to sun down…to text stalker and second shadow…still focusing on the wellbeing of your children…only now from a distance.  They now have different zip codes, no curfew, no “house rules”…yeah, I can see how that transition would be a little more challenging than I’d first imagined.

But this week, I experienced a bit of a role reversal and I think he was checking in on me instead.  He shared something I had long ago forgotten…not realizing that something so small and silly would leave a lasting impression.  And that the little things we give next to no thought at all about…are the very things that make a big difference in creating and shaping a happy childhood memory:

Here’s hoping we all continue to embrace the little things in life that we do almost without thinking…to ensure wrinkle-free living for life J