On Failure and Towels and Being Lint-Free

I read over the instructions for my new contact lens case.  Normally I don't find such reading material especially compelling but as I have had an eye infection or irritation of some kind, I thought it would be wise to review the steps I should be taking in lens care.  There weren't a lot of instructions but most of the ideas offered were good.  Then they mentioned using a lint-free towel to wipe the case dry.  For me, that's where it all went wrong.

I'll admit it now, and please try not to judge, that I don't divide my towels up into lint and lint-free categories.  I must be oblivious to the subtle nuances of towel science but to me, they're all simply items that are used to dry people, pets, the occasional massive spill.  I have never put any thought into their lint-producing abilities or lack thereof.  I didn't know.  And if I did manage to figure out such characteristics for each towel we possess, how would I store them?  Would they need separate shelves in the linen closet?  We don't have a big linen closet.  Where would I put the sheets?

While I've somehow managed this long without in-depth towel knowledge, I find instructions such as these a little defeating. If I don't use a lint-free towel,  it will seem like I've failed a little bit before I've even begun.  I don't need a little injection of failure added to my daily grooming routine.  There's never any certainty of success as it is.

Maybe, though, strict instructions such as these ones work by giving us a little wiggle room.  We don't have to use the towel prescribed but we should wash and dry the case with something, whether it is certified lint-free or not.  That would be better than what I was doing up until a few days ago: I was rather negligent.

I won't start studying my towels and contacting manufacturers to figure out lint status yet.  I will continue to use them for what I consider their standard purposes.  But I will ponder what to do with the linen closet when it is no longer possible to ignore this important towel distinction.   It's not looking good for the sheets.

JAHD