zen and the art of washing dishes
today, i was at t's place up in belmont. it was a lovely spring afternoon, and a lovely day to spend with the family. t (& co.) had invested hours of effort to put together the world's best lunch spread, and we just never stopped eating! i offered her a hand with the cleaning up, half fearful that she would bulldoze me out of the kitchen. thankfully, we struck a deal. i would do the dishes, and she would let me :). the point - a point i've been trying to drive home of late - is that i love doing dishes. a chore for some, it is one of the surest forms of meditation for me. t and i discussed this (back and forth) at length today, and she suggested this title for my next blog entry :).
is it strange that this exercise is so meditative for me? allow me to offer an explanation (and i hope it's the right one): i love that my decisions are made for me, as i wash the dishes one after another, under the soothing warm water. i find that mindfulness is ready and waiting, with the mind at supreme ease. each dish is special, and seems to call for gentle attention. gently, i pay attention to its curves and crevices. gently, i try to remove every food particle, every stain that my concentrated vision may discern. gently, i direct the water flow along the curves to nudge off the soapiness. and gently, i place the dish on the drying rack. one down, one less to go, one discrete step closer to my goal. no two ways about that.
when the last dish is done, there is a feeling of lasting contentment to find the sink empty and shining. i have done my dharma - gently and mindfully. the dishes must now do theirs - of drying off the water on them, in their own sweet time. yes, we are at peace with each other.
so if washing dishes is a chore for you, don't impose that perception on me please :). what could be more lovely than to be able to bring myself joy while i do a chore for you? now will you know never to ask me to leave your dirty dishes alone? good, thanks :).
is it strange that this exercise is so meditative for me? allow me to offer an explanation (and i hope it's the right one): i love that my decisions are made for me, as i wash the dishes one after another, under the soothing warm water. i find that mindfulness is ready and waiting, with the mind at supreme ease. each dish is special, and seems to call for gentle attention. gently, i pay attention to its curves and crevices. gently, i try to remove every food particle, every stain that my concentrated vision may discern. gently, i direct the water flow along the curves to nudge off the soapiness. and gently, i place the dish on the drying rack. one down, one less to go, one discrete step closer to my goal. no two ways about that.
when the last dish is done, there is a feeling of lasting contentment to find the sink empty and shining. i have done my dharma - gently and mindfully. the dishes must now do theirs - of drying off the water on them, in their own sweet time. yes, we are at peace with each other.
so if washing dishes is a chore for you, don't impose that perception on me please :). what could be more lovely than to be able to bring myself joy while i do a chore for you? now will you know never to ask me to leave your dirty dishes alone? good, thanks :).
4 comments:
yeah! i too find dish washing to be cathartic at times. however, there are certain situations in which i feel one must refrain from washing dishes:
1. when the host is finicky and has a method to his/her madness. e.g., the carbon steel wok has to be dried and oiled at once to prevent rusting, things have to be piled in the dish rack just so, etc. etc.
2. when the kitchen is not big enough for two or more people to comfortably function in and the host needs to be functioning in it.
3. when there's a party going on. because if one or two people are in the kitchen, then invariably three or four more people will come to the kitchen and soon it'll become a kitchen party.
4. when other people love washing dishes too and want to wash them.
ha ha ha ha :p
thanks adu!...it's true many poeple derive contentment from a mindful & meditative washing process...perhaps alterntaive deals need to be struck to let everyone share in the joy! ;)
A window helps the meditative aspect of dishwashing. A vista to look out onto while water flows over steel, ceramic, porcelain, glass. Thanks to you, N. there were so few dishes to do when evening came to Belmont. You are a dishwashing goddess who brought peace to my tiny, windowed kitchen. T.
adu/aa: i agree with the points you all raise. i only mean to say that when something is a chore for one and not for the other (and this may apply specifically for a time and place, not necessary to be universally true), it seems like a happy symbiotic relationship to have one allow and one oblige. clearly if both of you wish for the meditative experience yourself, i will not dream of denying you it. i also hope not to impose when you want fewer people in your kitchen and more people in the living area :).
t: it was clearly a pleasure - as you can tell that i blogged about it :). i'm happy to wash your dishes any time you like :).
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