The scent of sunshine is my motivation switch.

The scent of well-dried laundry on a sunny day.
Ever since I was a child, I have called it the "scent of sunshine."

When I was little, my mother taught me, "The scent of sunshine is the signal that the laundry has dried perfectly."

I don't like folding laundry, but the moment that scent of sunshine fills the room is something I have always loved, then and now. It is more comforting than the smell of fabric softener.
It is not just the laundry; I am also enveloped in the scent of sunshine after drying my futon. On nights when I have dried the futon, I always feel happy.

Even now that I am an adult, I want to hang my laundry outside to get it crisp.
Dryers aren't bad, but they just don't quite cut it.

That is why my heart sinks a little when the weather is bad.
It is because I cannot smell the scent of sunshine when I bring the laundry in.

To begin with, the task of folding laundry is nothing but a chore for someone like me who is bad at housework in general. Even so, since I have been made to help out since I was a child, I have become able to do it as well as anyone else. When I was a newlywed, I remember my husband telling me that saying I was "bad at housework" while folding laundry at high speed lacked credibility.

No matter what anyone says, it is still a chore I am bad at.
But thanks to the scent of sunshine I discovered as a child, I have become able to fold laundry on sunny days with a good mood. A day when I can fold laundry pleasantly is a good day.

My mood is swayed to that extent.
Perhaps I am addicted to the scent of sunshine.
Without the scent of sunshine, bringing in and folding laundry becomes nothing more than a colorless task. It is a chore I am bad at that I would prefer someone else to do for me if possible. My motivation drops to rock bottom.

I know it is necessary even on rainy days, so it can't be helped, but I really want to hang my laundry on sunny days. And I want to taste the happiness of being enveloped in the scent of sunshine.

Thinking this far, I came back to my senses.
I don't have time. I have to fold it quickly.
I returned my gaze to the laundry.

My eldest son came over.
He picked up a bath towel and brought it close to his face.

"What's wrong?"
"I'm smelling it. It smells good, doesn't it?"
"You mean the smell of the fabric softener?"
"No, that's not it. It smells like this from laundry on a sunny day."

Oh my. He noticed.

"That is the scent of sunshine. It is the signal that the laundry has dried perfectly."

Just like my mother did that day, I told my eldest son.
After looking at me curiously, he smelled the bath towel again.

"The scent of sunshine, huh. That's nice."

My eldest son smiled broadly.
And then, the two of us busily folded the laundry.

The scent of sunshine gently enveloped us.

(1,000 characters)

*Written for the Membership Writing Club prompt: "Let's try writing exactly 1,000 characters."