It always seems that I’m in a hurry, from the time I wake up until the time I go to sleep at night. Hurry to work, hurry home, hurry through dinner, and clean the house quickly. You name it, I do it fast. I’m not sure what I’m in such a rush for, but I’m always rushing from one thing to another. Lately with all the hustle and bustle of the holiday’s it seems that I’m in even more of a rush. So much is going on that I hardly every have any time just to be still.
In an attempt to slow down I’ve started washing dishes by hand. This is a chore I always hated growing up and couldn’t wait until I got my own apartment, with a dishwasher, that was the only requirement. Now suddenly standing in front of a sink full of soapy water staring out the kitchen window at the backyard has become my quiet time.
Doing the dishes has become a time to slow down and be alone with my thoughts. Of course it helps that there are only two of us and we are hardly ever home. There really aren’t many dishes to be done and if I had to wait for the dishwasher to be full it would take at least a week so I’m enjoying the quiet and staring out the window.
I’m getting lots of thinking done, most of it involves plans for the yard when it warms up but that’s ok. There is something comforting about washing dishes by hand, maybe because it’s such a mindless process. Whatever it is, I’m enjoying it. A few minutes of enforced down time during my hectic day. Just a little time to think about nothing. Afterwards I massage my favorite lotion into my hands so it feels almost like a spa treatment. That’s what I tell myself anyway.