Retail Zen: The Art of Folding Denim
With nobody in our household working right now, you'd think we'd be going through less laundry, right? We could all just lounge around in PJs all day.
In my mid-twenties, I would often take on the task of re-working these massive denim walls at aforementioned clothing retailer. The goal of these re-works was to create a wall of near-identical stacks of denim, arranged by size, cut, wash, etc. With hundreds of pairs to sort through, the best way to achieve the task was to "zone in" on whatever method you were using to keep the project organized. So needless to say, I zoned the heck in and got really good at folding blue jeans. Over time, I went from loathing the process to actually preferring it over other merchandising projects.
Not so much.
Between COVID-19 cleanliness precautions, my impulse decision to take up running amidst a pandemic, and putting on fresh outfits to just feel normal, the laundry is neverending as per usual, and now I've got all the time in the world to work on the endless loads.
Recently in the midst of folding through piles, I was suddenly brought back to my roots. As I stacked hoodies, folded t-shirts, and sifted through socks, my husband remarked at my speed and precision, the specific and impressive way in which I folded each item. The reason I'm good at this is because I've spent years getting paid to do it.
See, I have a decade of background in visual merchandising. Specifically, I spent most of those years running a style team for a big box clothing retailer and most of the display techniques I learned there became ingrained in me forever. Between years of long nights cleaning up after careless customers, planogram updates, and umpteen seasonal resets, I can safely say I'm a legitimate expert when it comes to mass-folding, and make it pretty!
But that's not the coolest thing (yes. Folding laundry IS COOL. I've likely lost half my audience here but I digress). The coolest thing is that folding laundry (and similar tasks) can totally become part of your mindfulness practice, and you don't even have to be a self-proclaimed expert to feel the calming effects!
Here's a story...
See, I have a decade of background in visual merchandising. Specifically, I spent most of those years running a style team for a big box clothing retailer and most of the display techniques I learned there became ingrained in me forever. Between years of long nights cleaning up after careless customers, planogram updates, and umpteen seasonal resets, I can safely say I'm a legitimate expert when it comes to mass-folding, and make it pretty!
But that's not the coolest thing (yes. Folding laundry IS COOL. I've likely lost half my audience here but I digress). The coolest thing is that folding laundry (and similar tasks) can totally become part of your mindfulness practice, and you don't even have to be a self-proclaimed expert to feel the calming effects!
Here's a story...
In my mid-twenties, I would often take on the task of re-working these massive denim walls at aforementioned clothing retailer. The goal of these re-works was to create a wall of near-identical stacks of denim, arranged by size, cut, wash, etc. With hundreds of pairs to sort through, the best way to achieve the task was to "zone in" on whatever method you were using to keep the project organized. So needless to say, I zoned the heck in and got really good at folding blue jeans. Over time, I went from loathing the process to actually preferring it over other merchandising projects.
I'd create a barrier of baker's racks around my body and take refuge in transforming madness into mellow. If I was having a bad day, I'd go to the wall and somehow find a bit of clarity in the process of working through denim stacks. It gave me something to focus on, and while I spent time on my task, the dramas and turmoil I'd concocted in life, the anxiety that lived like a buzzing bee in my brain, all slipped into the background.
Afterwards, I always felt lighter. I became a denim queen, and was very vocal about the way "working the wall" was becoming a form of therapy for me. My co-workers thought I was nuts but they also loved it, because the denim walls were lava and nobody wanted to step foot near those pits of hell, so the more I wanted to hang out in there, the better for them. I couldn't explain why folding denim helped, I just knew it made me feel better.
Unbeknownst to me, I was 100% practicing mindfulness in that denim wall. I think back now to one of my favorite passages by Thich Nhat Hanh:
I won't go deeper into the philosophy of Zen or mindfulness, as I'm absolutely not an expert, but instead will suggest you check out anything you can find by Thich Nhat Hanh or Eckart Tolle if you're interested in studying mindfulness more fully. Their spoken word recordings, books, and essays are well-loved, easy to find, and simple to digest, and both these men can speak to the subject much better than a silly goose with a blog! Remember, I am a folding expert, not a guru!
My point is that we're all probably going stir crazy on some level right now (I can't believe I'm still writing pandemic posts...that's an entirely different can of worms), but living in quarantine doesn't have to suck. Remember that one of the best tools for stress or anxiety relief, now and always, is to practice mindfulness. So whether it's some quick pranayama before cooking the kids dinner, a few restorative yoga poses before bed, or simply washing the dishes, keep your awareness in The Now of every experience. As our mindfulness grows, acceptance and peace follow.
XO
Jess
Afterwards, I always felt lighter. I became a denim queen, and was very vocal about the way "working the wall" was becoming a form of therapy for me. My co-workers thought I was nuts but they also loved it, because the denim walls were lava and nobody wanted to step foot near those pits of hell, so the more I wanted to hang out in there, the better for them. I couldn't explain why folding denim helped, I just knew it made me feel better.
Unbeknownst to me, I was 100% practicing mindfulness in that denim wall. I think back now to one of my favorite passages by Thich Nhat Hanh:
“While washing the dishes one should only be washing the dishes, which means that while washing the dishes one should be completely aware of the fact that one is washing the dishes.” (The Miracle of Mindfulness)Like many sentiments found within Zen philosophy, this may sound repetitive or obvious, but in true Zen fashion, its implications are quite profound. In each and every moment, we have an opportunity to observe and accept. The vehicle for observation and acceptance (and furthermore, for peace) is awareness--focus. Whether we are mindful in our focus on a task (folding blue jeans, for example), on an object (a crystal, a stick of incense as it burns), or on our breath, we are coming into the present moment--the only moment that matters. When I spent all those hours in the denim wall with my focus so honed in, it's no wonder I felt better. I was fully aware and in the present moment. That's meditation, man.
I won't go deeper into the philosophy of Zen or mindfulness, as I'm absolutely not an expert, but instead will suggest you check out anything you can find by Thich Nhat Hanh or Eckart Tolle if you're interested in studying mindfulness more fully. Their spoken word recordings, books, and essays are well-loved, easy to find, and simple to digest, and both these men can speak to the subject much better than a silly goose with a blog! Remember, I am a folding expert, not a guru!
My point is that we're all probably going stir crazy on some level right now (I can't believe I'm still writing pandemic posts...that's an entirely different can of worms), but living in quarantine doesn't have to suck. Remember that one of the best tools for stress or anxiety relief, now and always, is to practice mindfulness. So whether it's some quick pranayama before cooking the kids dinner, a few restorative yoga poses before bed, or simply washing the dishes, keep your awareness in The Now of every experience. As our mindfulness grows, acceptance and peace follow.
XO
Jess
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