Ironing the Shirts

These last few weeks have been stressful.  My right iris was inflamed, a condition known as iritis, and then my left followed suit.  I'm still taking drops for them, but for a week I had to keep them both dilated to keep away the spasms.  I had to keep sunglasses on even indoors, so naturally it was the week my boys chose to start running off down the street regularly again.  The sun was blindingly painful as I chased them down time and time again, but we got through it.  Doctor appointments, school meetings, and other commitments have swarmed around me until I have felt suffocated by people and conditions and medical problems to the point that I wanted to scream. 

The laundry had piled up again.  It really doesn't take long for this mountain to take over hallways and bathrooms, not to mention the laundry room itself.  I didn't have time to do it with the aforementioned activities, but we needed clean clothes, and the only way they would get done was if I put them in the washer, the dryer, the laundry baskets, and finally, to their closet or drawer destinations.  This week, I decided to attack them with a fervor.  It was either that or buy us all some new clothes.

It's been ages since I've actually ironed my husband's shirts.  I hate to say it, but with 3 kids on the Autism Spectrum, and an 18 month old typical chatty, busy toddler, other things have taken precedence.  But the last couple of days as I've done the laundry, I made up my mind to toss his shirts into a pile on my recliner to iron them.  See, this is the love of my life, and he's had a tough week at work.  I wanted to do something to show him that I love him, in deed, and not just in words, and I know that is something he really appreciates.

Today I set up the ironing board, plugged in the iron, and set about the task at hand.  In 30 minutes, I had succeeded in ironing a grand total of 2 1/2 shirts.  It's not exactly a world record time, you understand, for most people can get at least 5 shirts done in that time, and I am pretty sure the average time is closer to 3 minutes a shirt.  But, I did manage to get those done.

Know what else I got done in that time?  I reprimanded a child for kicking another child in the stomach and calmed them both down.  I got the boys to pick up their puzzles that were strewn across their floor.  I talked Nyssa into putting away some of the folded clothes, and I put Gabriela down for her nap.  I also used the mean mommy voice when the kids got disrespectful...and called in the big guns, Daddy, when they decided not to obey.

I started getting all worked up over the mess in the house and frustrated because the kids weren't picking up their things.  Then my dear Richard reminded me of something we'd read recently.  Lots of Autistic kids who get into stubborn modes (such as mine were in today) don't respond well to negative reinforcement, but many do respond well to positive rewards.  So, I decided to take his lead and tell them that if they helped me for 30 minutes with little breaks in between tasks, I would have a special surprise for them.  In the next half hour, I had managed to iron 6 more shirts.

The older two got to go to the mall with me and play in the play area after getting some new shoes, especially having both gone on a growth spurt.  They got to choose little puzzle erasers for being good helpers.  They got to choose a special cookie each for their obedience, as well.  They had a fun experience, and so did I, and we set off for home when Nyssa started to get overstimulated so we'd end on a good note.

When we got home, Richard had dinner all ready for us.  Did I mention how sweet he can be?  By time the kids went to bed, I had managed to get most of the ironing completed. 

My life has felt like a tsunami recently.  Flooded with chores and Nathaniel's outbursts at school, not to mention regular daily life, I have felt overwhelmed, like the 5 loads of laundry that were piled in my family room this morning.  But if I just take each event, one by one, and don't look everything at once, it's easier to digest. 

Though ironing is a chore, I had forgotten how peaceful it is.  The rhythmic back and forth motion of the iron itself in my hands, smoothing out the material as I go across the fabric, is soothing.  It is calming in a way I had forgotten, but relished today.  Life is full of ups and downs, mountains and valleys, and there are often a few wrinkles that have to be smoothed out along the way.  I'm ever so thankful for the moments such as today, when the hissing of the steam reminded me of the gentle waves flowing over the beach, washing away the cares of the last few weeks, almost hypnotically bringing stillness to my soul once more.