Comments on: A Meditation On Washing Dishes

By: claiborne

claiborne — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 04:11:07 +0000

loved this! Gave me a smile while facing Sunday night clean-up!

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By: Nate

Nate — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:41:04 +0000

great to meet you tooooo:). SA united;)

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By: Jared Krauss

Jared Krauss — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 22:44:26 +0000

You know, after my one class on Monday mornings, Arabic, and going to the gym, lunch at the cafeteria, and then finally getting back to my dorm, even though this is a easy day for me, you’d think cleaning is the last thing I’d want to do. However, on Mondays, I clean. In high school, after soccer practice, to relax, I used to come home and cook. Here, in college, to organize myself for the week to come, to be aware of what I need to do school wise and otherwise, I clean. I start with my dorm room, picking up trash, putting away clothes, preparing laundry, making my bed, organizing my desk, etc. Then I move on to the kitchen: dishes, dishes, dishes,counter tops, microwave, oven, stove, sink, floor, trash; it all has to get cleaned. Then, every two weeks or so I’ll hit the bathroom. We have a bathroom en suite that I share with two other guys and my roommate. I’ll first put away all the products every where, then clean down the sinks and counter tops, then move on to the floor of the bathroom, and yes-*gasp*the toilet too, then the shower. Once I’m finally done by laundry somehow got done in that process.

Then, when I can finally sit down to relax to catch up on the articles here or to do some reading or writing I realize that I was able to clean my white shoes and polish both my black and brown boots. It’s a peaceful atmosphere now.

I go through my stages of with music and without. No music during the cleaning of the kitchen or the bathroom, I need to think; then I blast the music, any music, I love all my music, while I clean my actual room.

My mother would drop dead if she actually knew how much cleaning I do.

The things that spur you to write during the day, even just a little bit.

Cheers Leigh,
Jared

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By: nora

nora — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:21:44 +0000

hehe….Love it!! …. i personally like to sing it out loud as well. Its therapeutic

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By: Leigh Shulman

Leigh Shulman — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:32:23 +0000

Thank you all for your comments here. This was a fun piece to write, and even moreso to hear all your reactions.

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By: Leigh Shulman

Leigh Shulman — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:31:37 +0000

Well done, Nancy. How did you work that one? I tend to be the main dish washer in our house. Although there are plenty of other things Noah ends up doing all the time, so I can’t really complain.

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By: Leigh Shulman

Leigh Shulman — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:29:35 +0000

As you already know, this is my new mantra. Switching out “dishes” for whatever else might be holding me up or down or whichever way.

Great to meet you, Nate. Here and on Twitter.

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By: Leigh Shulman

Leigh Shulman — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:28:17 +0000

Hmmm… not a bad idea.

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By: Leigh Shulman

Leigh Shulman — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:27:08 +0000

Did you try it? How was it?

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By: Leigh Shulman

Leigh Shulman — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:24:45 +0000

Sometimes, I can get to that truly meditative state when washing dishes, but usually I fight it. That’s why I have to distract myself as much as possible, let my mind go elsewhere. I tend to be this way with housework in general.

But I love the image of scraping away lists (i have many many of them) like grease.

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