It’s Like Folding a Fitted Sheet

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By now, anyone who reads what I write can see a common theme…I basically have no idea what I’m doing. I can normally be found waiting for someone to find out that I’m a big ole fraud — a 7th grader living this adult life.

Many months ago, I posted a meme (as I’m prone to do), and it got a lot of attention. Let the record show that this is the meme in question:

There were lots of responses, and all of them from people I dearly love. It was clear that not everyone feels like I do on this matter, and everyone has a right to his/her own (potentially misguided) opinion. Obviously, I fall into a certain category here, but I’ll let you figure out which one that might be. No judgment based on your category from this gal…

Some people actually do know how to do this. They can fold a fitted sheet, for real!

They have learned from some magical laundry fairy how to do this impossible feat properly, and they make it look so easy! I am grateful someone actually knows how because it gives me hope. It gives me hope that one day I will figure out how to do it without cussing or giving up (clearly this is not my category).

Some people sorta know how to fold a fitted sheet.

They understand the basics (from watching their mom or a YouTube video), and they can get it started, but somewhere in between the smoothing and stretching, they lose hope, and roll that sheet up. They then do what any self-respecting person does: hide that mess in the middle of the flat sheet so no one sees it.

Some people put a fitted sheet into a pillowcase with the rest of the set of sheets.

These folks like to have some order, because the entire set of sheets winds up together, and has a place to live in between times the sheets wind up on the bed. I appreciate the desire to keep things together and to make it look like it’s well organized, when secretly inside that pillowcase is a big ole mess.

Some people go straight from dryer to bed with that sheet.

Whether they do this because they only have one set of good sheets or because at least they don’t have to fold that daggum sheet, they live in the moment. They handle things as they happen, going straight from problem to solution. I appreciate the immediacy and the moment-by-moment approach.


If you haven’t figure it out by now, I’m not just talking about fitted sheets. It seems like in life it’s easy to look around and see people who have it all together more than I do, whether “it” is folding laundry, cooking, taking care of children, or generally managing adult life. But I’m learning that what I can see is not always accurate – sometimes that fitted sheet is a mess and it’s just well hidden. So I’m trying not to let that comparison get to me. I’m working on not caring so much, because what I have learned about this “fitted sheet” business is this…

No amount of instruction really makes it any easier or helps it make sense.

Even with good intentions, I can’t make sense of it most of the time.

Regardless of my method, I sleep just fine at night.

Also, if you’re down for a good laugh, just watch this little nugget to meet my kindred spirit.