Getty Owl Foundation

I Know It Is Just Laundry, But For Me It Is Time

From Kate,

Today our sweetest girl is 22 months old. Celebration and smoochies all around today. 🙂

It is our ritual that Getty and I sleep together for all naps and overnight sleepovers. We are dorm room roommates without the gross boys and loud music. 🙂

It is some special time that we get to spent together everyday. It is special time that although we are sleeping, we are still sharing some good snuggle time.

Today I woke up earlier from our nap and I slithered out of bed as quiet as I could. As I walked into the living room there was an obvious mountain of laundry that needed to be done. Although I am not the biggest fan of folding clean clothes I will say that there are some items that I love to fold. I love folding Getty’s clothes. I love folding her blankets, her sheets, anything. I have become very found of folding anything that is Getty’s.

There is something wonderful about washing her clothes. Something so amazing about folding her blankets just right. A feeling of complete contentment when I hang up her clothes.

I wonder if this seems weird to another person, but folding her clothes is a ritual that I need. It grounds me emotionally with every fold. I even refold some blankets, because it didn’t feel right. It needs to be perfect. She deserves perfect. I know pretty OCD.

In the past I would have never wanted to wash anything of Getty’s. My worry was that if I washed her clothes I would forget her scent if she was no longer with us. That thought consumed me and really paralyzed my heart. I think at one point I had exhausted her entire wardrobe in fear of washing anything. But what I found was with time, came permission.

I started to look at her clothes and blankets as more of a celebration. I started to actually go out and buy her clothes, I even bought her sizes that she was not fitting yet, but knew in the near future, she would. I became frantic about washing all of her stuff to make sure everything was just right for Getty.

Every load of Getty’s laundry is a celebration that she is thriving with a disease that wants to take her life. I don’t think SMA realized how big of a fight it was going to encounter with Getty. She is a heavyweight boxer and Getty is showing her opponent who is boss.

Every daily load of laundry is another day fought with valor and grace.

So when I see the mound of laundry of her’s I love diving in to get my fold on. 🙂 I know that I can’t battle SMA with my folding abilities, but it gives me the ability to control how fluffy and comfy Getty will be. And each time I fold her clothes, it also means time for me. I get to be blessed with more time with Getty.

You might be asking do I give the same care to Mark and my clothes? Um….nope. It is a huge and mind you, growing mountain of clothes. I hate folding our clothes. 🙂