They say love finds you when you least expect it, and boy, were they right. My love story began in the most unlikely place, a laundromat.
It was Friday night, around 1:30 a.m., just after Pastor Nathaniel Bassey’s Hallelujah Challenge. My heart was full, my spirit was lifted, but my brain? It had other plans, it refused to shut down. Was it excitement? Anxiety? Or just one of those nights when sleep was playing hide and seek? Whatever it was, I felt a whirlwind of emotions sprinting from my head to my heart, straight to my stomach. The only cure for this cocktail of emotions? Action.
When my brain won’t rest, I know better than to fight it. Activity is my antidote. So, at almost 2 a.m., instead of staring at the ceiling, I grabbed the opportunity to clean my room. I changed my sheets, decluttered, and sorted out clothes into two piles: one for charity, the other for laundry. By the time I was done, I’d made up my mind: tomorrow, I’d visit a laundromat for the first time, even though there was one conveniently located near a mall in my area. I wasn’t about to spend my precious Saturday scrubbing clothes like it was 1985.
The Hallelujah Challenge continued in my room, but this time, Dunsin Oyekan and Hillsong provided the soundtrack. My playlist switched to French and Spanish worship songs, beautiful, by the way, you should try it and soon, my room was sparkling, my clothes were sorted, and my body was ready for bed.
Saturday Morning Reality Check
At 11 a.m., armed with a duffle bag of clothes and a can-do attitude, I marched into the laundromat (Big Mistake) turns out, half of Lagos had the same idea. The place was packed tighter than a danfo during rush hour, every machine spinning, every seat occupied, with everyone waiting their turn. My turn came after a one -hour wait.
But when the machines finally whirred to life with my clothes inside, the chaos outside my head began to fade. The laundromat started emptying out, and the gentle hum of the machines filled the space. It was oddly therapeutic. I claimed two machines and made the most of the waiting time.
While the machines did their thing, I decided to do mine. Knocked out two meetings, finished a client onboarding doc, and even had a moment to just sit and watch the dryers spin. Honestly, it was weirdly calming, like watching waves at the beach, but less romantic and way more practical.
By the time I was done, I was walking out with two bags of clean, dry laundry and a newfound respect for laundromats. I didn’t have to worry about sunshine or rain, scrubbing or rinsing. All I did was pay for comfort and use my waiting hours for something productive.
The love I found that day wasn’t for a person, it was for the ease of paying for comfort. No scrubbing, no sun-drying, no stressing. Just clean, dry clothes handed to me like today’s bread from Boku.
As a busy creative, time is my most precious resource. If there’s anything I can do to save time and make my life easier, I’m all in.
That day, I fell in love with the quiet efficiency of the laundromat, the way it gave me the gift of time. Time to work, reflect, and rest. Time to live, without the burden of a pile of laundry looming over me.
Love Lessons from the Laundromat
1. Invest in Convenience
Sometimes, paying for comfort isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity. Whether it’s a laundromat, a meal delivery service, or a task management app, these tools free you up to focus on what truly matters.
2. Time is a Resource, Use It Well
The two plus hours I spent at the laundromat could have felt wasted, but instead, I turned them into productive moments. Always look for ways to redeem your time, it’s the only resource you can’t get back.
3. Find Joy in the Ordinary
Watching a dryer spin might not sound glamorous, but in that moment, it was a rare pause in an otherwise hectic day. Sometimes, the simplest activities hold the most peace.
4. Work Smarter, Not Harder
There’s no badge of honor for doing everything yourself. If there’s an easier way, take it. Life’s already hard enough, don’t make it harder.
5. Celebrate Small Wins
Clean laundry may seem like a small thing, but at that moment it felt like a big weight off my shoulders, some less to think about. Learn to celebrate the small wins, they pave the way for bigger victories.
So, yeah, I fell in love in a laundromat, not with someone, but with the beauty of letting go. Sometimes, love looks like two big bags of fresh, warm laundry and a few hours of saved time.
Your turn, What’s one thing you can outsource to make life easier? Because trust me, the peace is worth every naira.
Till next time,
JD