Washing Dishes and My Grandma

Finding Wonder in Everyday Chores

There is a life that travels with us. No matter who you are, some sort of cleaning is a daily traveling partner. I think of my grandparents how they used their daily chores as meditation- not that they called it meditation. But it was. It was a daily activity that was necessary for life to flow. A place of repeated activity.

The same things over and over again. An ongoing list of chores. And yet, I don't remember hearing my grandparents complain. I do remember my grandma Lois sitting on the couch with us as the dishwasher washed all our dishes in a state of wonder and gratitude. She almost always said something like listen to that dishwasher doing all our work.

It's these simple tasks that keep us grounded in the present moments. Space for our minds to wander and settle. In a world of electronics and always being "connected", daily chores are a place where we can unplug. Wash dishes, feeding ducks, washing your face, picking up the day, putting the day away.

Cleaning is more than a chore that needs to be done. It's a space for us to lean into the moment. When I get stressed, cleaning is one of my most valuable and reliable tools for calming my nervous system. Not that it's usually my first choice. No, I look to other things first...but if I'm honest with myself. It's cleaning -inside or outside- that seems to do the most good.

It's physically moving while I process life. It's grounded work. Pulling weeds—cleaning out the garden beds. Dusting—fully rebooting a space and resetting it with less.

Next week, I'll be teaching a workshop on cleaning. It's called cleaning for health and happiness. If you would like to learn a simpler and more enjoyable way to create a healthy home join us.

I know most of us would rather do most anything else than our daily or weekly chores but when we remove the past internal conversations of why we don't like to clean and simply appreciate this traveling partner as a nervous system supporter, things start to shift.

Cleaning reminds me of this poem by Kathleen Dean Moore:

Wonder is easy when you travel to desert islands in search of experiences you have never imagined, in search of something you have never seen before, in search of wonder, the shock of surprise. It's easy, and it's cheap.

It's not what the world asks of us.

To be worthy of the astonishing world, a sense of wonder will be a way of life, in every place and time, no matter how familiar: to listen in the dark of every night, to praise the mystery of every returning day, to be astonished again and again, to be grateful with an intensity that cannot be distinguished from joy.

To clean again and again and again, and still find wonder, gratitude, and peace in the simplest, most repetitive task—that is a gift. It's a deep practice in presence.

Next time you are cleaning, turn off all electronics—except music. Music pairs well with cleaning. Feel your way through, noticing the thoughts you have about cleaning and asking yourself: What is it about cleaning that makes your life better, you happier?

Enjoy,

Denise

If you are interested in joining my next cleaning class here is the link. It's being held next Thursday June 11th at 5pm