The Challenge of Drying Clothes in the Rainy Season

July 10th, 2008

I suds up my clothes with bar soap; I wring them out by hand; I hang them on the outside line—whatever space is left—to dry. By the time my clothes are all hung up, it starts to rain again. Do I keep them on the line and hope the rain will soon pass over? Or do I take the clothes back down?

Sometimes my washed wet clothes set all day in a basin, waiting for a window of opportunity to partially dry outside in the sun. Only when the clothes have somewhat dried, can I hang them in my room. This waiting period—when wet clothes are clumped together in a basin for hours—can be a nuisance for me. A garment spotted with even a little rust can infect its nasty color onto another garment. Mildew builds its nest on the clothes like a spider webs on a bush. The clothes began to stink… so I have to wash them all over again.

It is during these times that I try and put to practice Philippians 4:11: “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.”