So as usual, on Mondays, I do all the housework which includes vacuuming, dusting, cleaning floors and bathroom, making lunchtime snacks (banana bread or muffins), and laundry. Today, rather than listening to podcasts while I folded the laundry, I took the ear-buds out and decided to simply let my mind wander (a dangerous prospect at best).
So as I was folding laundry, I noticed that I fold everything in a very particular way, and unless something really strange happens, I never deviate from those methods. For instance, when I fold underwear, I always:
So as I was folding laundry, I noticed that I fold everything in a very particular way, and unless something really strange happens, I never deviate from those methods. For instance, when I fold underwear, I always:
- Make sure they're turned right-side out
- Lay it flat
- Fold the right side 1/3 of the way
- Fold the left side 1/3 of the way covering the folded right side
- I then roll the underwear, top down, into a little tight roll
- Lastly, when I place it in the drawer, each pair of underwear is oriented the same way.
After I'm done, they look like the underwear equivalent of an uncooked Pillsbury Crescent roll tube. Only my underwear isn't nearly as yummy. Anyway, it occurred to me that this is a lot more work than would be required for putting away underwear. I'm not saying that I would just bunch them in a wad and throw them in a drawer, but why do I go through the whole process? Why is it necessary for me to make sure they're not inside out? Why do I make sure they are oriented the same way within the drawer? I'm not saying that if I deviated from this method that it would bother me. I don't lay awake at night wondering if my underwear is all oriented properly.
I also fold socks a particular way. In fact, because of the way I fold socks, when I was becoming a trainer with Canadian Blood Services, I used it to demonstrate my training abilities. I purchased three pairs of socks, and created a full 12 page, detailed and illustrated Standard Operating Procedure that would demonstrate to my trainees how to fold socks properly! How weird is that?
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| The correct way to fold a pair of socks |
One funny thing about my sock folding is that I can not have them folded improperly. For instance, if while putting away laundry, I find a pair of socks in Kristie's drawer that she unfolded and then folded herself, in my non-anal-retentive manner. I actually do feel compelled to take them out and fold them properly.
The bottom line is, I think there may be a very fine line between habit and mental disorder.
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