We're all in a hurry, all the time, late for whatever it is, not enough time to take care of all those burdensome necessities, or to savor those leisurely moments. Who among us does not prioritize? What chores are truly critical, which are absolutely necessary to the point where our lives, our very well-being, would be adversely affected by putting them off, or worse, leaving them undone? What tasks are really, genuinely important, and which feed our egos, nourish our self-esteem and views of ourselves? What do we really need to do, and what, were it left undone, wouldn't alter our well-being or the quality of our lives one iota?
To me, few activities in this world are more superfluous or a greater waste of time than ironing. Who was it who ever decided our moral fiber would crumble, our integrity would wither and our appearances would be totally unacceptable if we didn't press that set of threads we're hanging on our bodies? If we're clean, if we're not blotchy, marred with mud, stained by sangria, caked with ketchup or wearing garments that have been through a shredding machine, who cares if we're not pressed? When and what tribunal was it who decided wrinkles were wrong - unacceptable in our culture - tolerated only by slobs and the lowest dregs of humanity? How is it that so many of us bought into this all-consuming wrinklelessness, this urgent need to be pressed?
Isn't it obvious what a tremendous time-waster ironing is? How completely and utterly unnecessary, and totally unproductive it is? Does it in any way improve our health, make us better people, or make our world a safer or better place?
Except for those whose main concern is killing germs with heat, I think humankind could save billions of man/woman hours each week (and an amazing amount of electrical power) if we all learned to accept the grace and beauty of wrinkles, and unplugged our irons until we figure out a better use for them.
For other uses, see Ironing (disambiguation).
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Ironing or smoothing is the work of using a heated tool (an iron) to remove wrinkles from fabric. Ironing works by loosening the bonds between the long-chain polymer molecules in the fibers of the material. While the molecules are hot, the fibers are straightened by the weight of the iron, and they hold their new shape as they cool. Some fabrics, such as cotton, require the addition of water to loosen the intermolecular bonds. Many modern fabrics (developed in or after the mid-twentieth century) are advertised as needing little or no ironing.