I had the perverse pleasure of cleaning out our dryer lint this afternoon. And not just that bit on the lint screen, but deeper into the dryer. The feeling was like that weird satisfaction from picking a scab or popping a zit. It's gross, but there's this feeling of relief once the deed is done.
A weird fact to go along with this weird post (which does have a point): Dryer fires are the number one cause of household fires linked to appliances every year. That's about 15,000 fires annually.
Even stranger are some of the pictures I came up with while searching the internet for the best ways to clean out dryer lint. That first one is from a blog about upcycling and making "modeling dough" for kids out of dryer lint. Ick!
Ranking among my favorites are Moran Rubin's "Dust Bunnies" Sculpture crafted from dryer lint.
And the craziest might be the blogger who took on the challenge of turning dryer lint "blah into TADA!"
She made birds' nests out of dryer lint, in addition to a WEEK-full of other things. I think the handiest was the fire starting kit, as dryer lint is, as aforesaid, flammable.
The fire starter...
As I was digging into the dryer and pulling out bunches of lint, I got thinking of the potential real hazard of all of this lint starting a fire in our own home.
I imagined this buildup of lint akin to all of the thoughts we mull around over and over in our heads like clothes tossed in a dryer. These thoughts might relate to emotions around a difficult relationship or seemingly small tiffs with a family member, co-worker, or friend. We may want to communicate our feelings, but are afraid of what might happen. Just like that lint that gets pushed deeper into the dryer vent, our thoughts can build up and finally get pushed deeper into the recesses of our minds.
Perhaps these thoughts spinning in our minds are day dreams we want to make real someday about living our passions, moving to our dream location, trying something that really scares us. We might have negative self-talk, memories of past experiences that didn't work out, that begs our minds to tell us to play it safe. We can shove them so deep we just forget about them for a while, which can turn into months, and even years.
Just as the dryer lint which, if allowed to build up, can cause potential danger, allowing negative thoughts to build up, unresolved emotions, or inaction can cause real dangers as well. People suffer in the form of physical and emotional illnesses or one day at work, just snap. We see it in the form of countless cases of bullied kids who exact revenge to the grave detriment of themselves and others.
Now it just got serious.
I guess because this topic really is. Take inventory of what's built up in your own mind. What needs to be cleaned out by tending your close relationships, speaking your truth, or mustering the courage to take a step in the direction of your passion.
Those challenges are there for the express purpose of helping us to grow and evolve as humans into more compassionate, connected beings. Addressing those challenges helps keep the mind clear. Those challenges can hide for a bit, in the inner duct work of your mind, but they will always be there until you take action to create true mental clarity.
Don't wait until the fire starts.
Taking action might mean taking a deep breath and then diving right in:
- Address a conflict that's been festering for a while.
- Seek out professional help.
- Talk to a good friend or neighbor.
- Take time for yourself to do something active that clears your head. Go to the gym, run, do yoga.
- Journal. Just getting your thoughts out on paper is a powerful way to unload.
Or, if nothing else, please call the good people at Sears to come clean out your dryer : ). You might just be surprised at what they find!
