Most of us don’t think twice about laundry. A washing machine is one of those unquestioned fixtures of modern life — a symbol of convenience, progress, and adulthood. I felt the same way. For years, I never imagined doing laundry any other way.
Then I started learning about natural lawn care. The idea is simple: instead of fighting weeds with chemicals, you build a healthy, balanced ecosystem so the lawn can take care of itself. It made sense to me. But in the summer months, even a healthy lawn needs water. I wanted to conserve water, not pour gallons onto the grass every week.
That’s when I heard about gray water systems — pumps that redirect washing machine water out to the yard. It sounded promising, but when I looked into it, the setup was complicated and expensive. I almost gave up on the idea.
And then something shifted. I looked at my washing machine with fresh eyes — not as a given, but as a meme. A cultural default. A solution I had inherited without ever questioning whether it was the right one for me.
What if the machine wasn’t the only way?
That tiny question cracked the door.
To make a long story short, I got rid of the washing machine. (Yes — I know. This is basically a cultural taboo.) I bought a washboard and repurposed a plastic container as a washtub. I discovered eco‑friendly detergents that don’t harm my hands or my plants. And I found that when I wash clothes by hand, I use far less water and no electricity at all. Best of all, I can take the gray water straight to the lawn — no pumps, no plumbing, no engineering degree required.
I’ve been doing this for over two years now. It takes consistency, because I don’t want laundry to pile up, but it’s simple, satisfying, and aligned with my values. What started as a practical workaround became a quiet act of meme awareness: noticing an inherited solution, questioning whether it truly served me, and choosing a path that fit my environment and my life.
Not as a rebellion.
Not as a statement.
Just as an experiment in coherence.
And it worked.
Take a moment to reflect:
Think of one everyday habit, tool, or routine you’ve inherited without much thought — something so normal you rarely notice it. What happens if you look at it with fresh eyes, not to change it, but simply to ask: Does this still fit the way I live now?
No pressure to act. Just notice what you notice.
If you would like to reflect more on meme awareness, follow this link to the Journal Portal.