Fluff & Fold with Sweetness

Twelve years ago this week, on a pre-marriage return trip to my Peace Corps home in Senegal, West Africa, Ned and I spent one of our days doing this –

Loved the sweet boy who helped us walk our purchase through town. *Side note – if you’ve ever hiked with me, Ned’s fanny pack may look familiar. That fashionably wrong item continues to treat us so right.

During my volunteer days, I adored these handmade baskets and the women who sold them on the roadside.  At the time I could only afford a small bread basket.

Fiance Ned and I decided to go for the splurge – the purchase and getting it back to Colorado safely.

Mission accomplished. 

That basket-o-love has been a constant in our life ever since.

It became our laundry basket by default. Our first house lacked closet space, so this sweet baby sat in our room, beautifully hiding our dirty socks and stinky workout clothes.

For 12 years, piles of laundry have been sprinkled with sweet memories.  

Until today.

Loads of love for this baby.

We lost the right handle years ago, but today I felt the left starting to give.

Hang in there.

Considering the stairs required, we’re one small strand of handwoven recycled plastic away from a potentially very dangerous accident.

Some quick math tells me a trip to Bed, Bath, & Beyond is more likely in our cards than a family laundry basket shopping adventure to Africa. But my heart aches at the thought.

These types of treasures add sweet LIFE to daily living.

When I was 24 and admired these baskets on the roadside, I had no idea I would one day return with my future husband to buy one. I didn’t know that basket would hold our dirty honeymoon clothes, ripe with the smells of our St. Lucian wedding adventures.

And the spit up soaked onesies from first born Hudson.

Or provide hours of entertainment with sweet buddies.

So worth it, but the beginning of the end for the right handle.

This transition is going to be hard. I will definitely spend some time trying to weave a safe solution before I surrender.

The great thing is, I’m reminded of two important lessons:

• Incorporating our treasures into daily life allows us to relive the sweet memories behind them while filling a real need. It’s the whole “don’t wait to burn the fancy candle” thinking. Light it up, celebrate the sweet friend who gave it to you, and cherish the glowing evening it provides.
• The more of these types of things we have in our lives, the less things we want.  It’s amazing how we realize we don’t need much when we truly treasure what we have.

What are your sacred treasures? Do you find have ways of incorporating them into daily life?