There is a children’s book by Natalie Babbitt called The Search for Delicious. It is about a king who had decided to create a dictionary for his kingdom. All was going well until the Royal Dictionary Writers came to the word “Delicious.” They simply couldn’t decide what the most Delicious thing in the kingdom was. Some of them may have thought it was the taste of a chocolate chip cookie, warm and gooey from the oven. Others may have thought it was the tinkling sound of a baby’s first laugh or the vibrant pink sky at sun’s first light.
The tale goes on to tell the adventures of a young boy sent out into the realm by the king to discover what the people of the kingdom considered to be the most Delicious. I’m sure there was more to the story, but that is what has stuck with me though the years. Every once in a while I think of that story and start to wonder what the most Delicious thing in the world is to me.
I ponder all the Delicious things I’m lucky enough to have in my life. The strong arms of my husband holding me tight, the giggles of my two beautiful daughters or even the colorful flowers that dance merrily in my garden. There are so many wonderfully Delicious things to choose from. Yet, it seems as though I always come back to the same thing. To me, Delicious is going to bed on a Monday night.
You see, in our house, Mondays are what we call “Washyersheetsday.” Everyone pulls all the linens from their bed and dumps them on the hall floor between our rooms before they leave for the day. Magically, the Sheet Fairies (with a little help from me) wash and dry those grubby sheets and make sure they arrive back on each bed at the end of the day all fresh and clean.
When my youngest daughter was just a wee one, she asked me if everyone in the world washed their sheets on Mondays. As I gently explained to her that every family had its own traditions, I smiled at the thought of all the sheets in the entire world being washed at the same time. It would be such a gift for us all. For every Monday night when I slip between those crisp, sweet-smelling sheets, I know that all is right with the world.
To me, that is quite Delicious…
Recent Susan Ivory Articles:
- Finding the Words
- The Transformation of a Technophobe
- Soccer Practice
- The Valentine Baby
- Three Quarters
- Needle and Thread
- My Delicious
- The Most Amazing Hair Dryer in the World
- Our Granola Girl
- Reasons to Give Yourself Flowers
This is a lovely piece. What a nice world we would have if everyone just stopped struggling and started snuggling – deliciously. Thank you.
Wouldn’t that be nice?
This is my favorite thing you’ve written–Delicious, indeed.
Thank you Jenn!
Susan you captured my “delicious” by conjuring up with your well written post of my own childhood memories handing my dearest grandmother wooden cloths pins while we both giggled and laughed trying not to let our bed sheet touch the ground. All was well when I got to run between the hanging cloths as they blew sweetly smelling of sunshine.
Thank you!
JA
What a beautiful memory! I’m glad I was able to help nudge it to the surface so you could savor it again.
I think this is one of my very favorite whimsy post! I now want to buy that book and wash my sheets on Monday! I wish this were one of my posts:)
Thank you! I’ll be thinking of you next Monday!
Thursday was wash day when I was a kid. (I wrote about it http://thedustwillwait.blogspot.com/2008/06/laundry-day.html)
I think I washed on weekends when the kids were small and I worked all week. Now I just do it whenever I want.
I loved reading this article. It is just how I feel when I get into a clean bed too. More special to me as well is when I am hanging out the sheets and they smell so lovely while they are hanging there on the washing line.
Where did you get that image from? My Dad made a washing line just like that one when I was little. We were a large family and it was the only way we could fit the sheets and blankets on a line. Also, I grew up in the country so I swear that is a picture of my childhood washing line hehe.
D’ lish to me is getting together with old friends and having it seem like time has just not passed us by. Of course my family and my husband come first