Express Way
David M. Smith, Clothespins, and "Holding Everything Together"
I grew up when the idea of using an indoor clothes dryer was about as ludicrous as the thought of one day talking on an iPhone.
So, hauling a heaping basket of tub-washed clothes outside to fling over a horizontal wire stretched taunt between two wooden posts was the norm.
My brothers, sister, and I were doubly blessed.
Our clothesline had twin parallel rows that to our eyes, reached to the ends of the earth.
That, of course, meant MORE trips of carrying MORE baskets of clothes which equaled MORE work.
Our only saving grace were days when the sun got out of Dodge.
But while clotheslines in backyards were common and a must have back in the day, the little doohickies that connected washed clothes to the stretched wires were just as important, maybe even more so.
Without clothespins, every piece of clothing faced a departure and arrival time in a neighbor’s yard.
Clothespins.
Like many things, clothespins changed over time and that meant improved performance.
It all began in the 1700’s in its most elementary form - a little bitty piece of wood with a split to hold clothes on a line.
Then, David M. Smith from Vermont took a stab at it, using a spring clamp to hold two pieces of wood together. He earned a patent in October of 1853. Mr. Smith is credited with inventing the first modern clothespin.
More than 20 years later another Vermont dreamer, Solon E. Moore, “stood on the shoulders” of Smith, improving the clothespin by using a coiled wire spring to fasten two pieces of wood together. He filed his patent in March of 1877.
Clothespins were a household item for decades and decades.
But eventually the indoor clothes dryer trumped the outdoor experience of drying clothes.
But getting back to clothespins. They’re simple things. Nothing mind-boggling about them.
Their original purpose?
To hold things together.
But this post is not about clothespins.
It’s about you and me holding things together in a world that’s spiraling apart.
It’s one of the most needed skills in our universe today.
Let me illustrate.
Her name was Mary Lou.
No, not the Mary Lou that the Statler Brothers sang about.
This Mary Lou had five kids. A 10-year-old, 8-year-old, 3-year-old, twin infants, and a 34-year-old husband.
Every morning, rain or shine, she’d crawl out of bed before everyone else and fix breakfast.
Saturday wasn’t an off day for her. Just another day “at the office.”
A Wal-Mart pre-packaged meal wasn’t an option.
Eggs, grits, biscuits, bacon, sausage, and her specialty – tomato gravy … were on her menu because “breakfast was the most important meal of the day.”
Then came the routine of scrubbing dirty dishes by hand, ironing clothes, and stuffing lunches in brown paper sacks.
When the two older kids jumped on the yellow school bus to get educated, that left her with the 3-year-old and twins to care for.
While her babies napped in the afternoon, she’d watch a 30-minute episode of “The Fugitive,” starring David Jansen. It gave her a mini vacation to recharge her weary soul before welcoming her school kids and husband back home for supper.
Caring for five kids and a husband gave her a microcosm of the world’s challenges.
Mary Lou became a multi-tasker before the word was even born, excelling in these ways:
· Mediator
· Counselor
· Nurse
· Bouncer
· Judge
· Referee
· Teacher
· Chef
· Seamstress
· Storyteller
I guess a lot of key taps could’ve been saved by just saying – “she held everything together.”
Who was she?
She was my mother.
But many today are also “holding everything together.”
I hope you’re one of them.
And if you are, thanks!
Here’s your Principle, Plan, and a Positive Approach to Follow.
Principle
The person who “holds things together” will never run out of work.
Plan
Don’t be afraid to make a difference by working out differences between people.
Positive Approach to Follow
While “holding things together” is a tough job, it develops leadership traits that are in great demand today like patience, negotiating traits, conflict resolution, good verbal skills, and active listening.
Admiring those who “hold things together,”
-Howell
One more word ... Is there a personal development topic that you'd like for me to write on? Send me your suggestions at howellbigham@theencouragementexpress.com
About The Encouragement Express
Thanks for visiting The Encouragement Express!
I'm Howell Bigham, and I'm the writer behind all the posts.
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Vitamin E(ncouragement)
Here's your weekly spiritual vitamin!
"Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God."
-Matthew 5:9
Motivating Mouths
"Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success."
-Henry Ford
Word of the Week
Agglutinate - "to stick together or cause things to stick together"
-Cambridge DIctionary
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