First, does anyone hand wash dishes these days? Do you?
We do have a dishwasher, but we only use if for glasses, crockery & cutlery. I’m not a fan of putting pots, saucepans etc in, so they are done by hand.
When I was a kid, washing dishes was a chore, no ifs, no buts, no maybes. My Mum was heartily disappointed when she said that she viewed doing dishes as special, quality time together. Sorry to burst your bubble there Mum, but no, just no. They were a chore. End of story.
So how can doing dishes be a mind-blowing experience?
Before I get into the nitty gritty of this, you need to know that this is something you can do in any and all aspects of your life and transform the everyday and sometimes seemingly mundane into a mind-blowing experience.
It’s not hard, it’s not complicated and you don’t need any special training or skill set.
Want to know how?
Simply by being conscious.
I know, you were expecting something a little more exciting, but stay with me on this.
Next time you are doing dishes, turn off the telly and any other distractions. Focus your attention totally on what you are doing…
If you use gloves, try do this just once, if you can without the gloves…
Be aware of the temperature of the water…Is it hot? Is it cold? Is it lukewarm?
Then have awareness of whatever you use as the soap or dishwashing liquid – whatever the washing agent is…Observe the bubbles…Are they coloured? Are they big? Are they small? Do they pop quickly? Feel the texture of the soapy water…Is it too soapy and slippery? How does it feel on your hands and between your fingers?
Are you using a cloth or a sponge or a brush or something else to help you wash the dishes? Is it clean? Is it grungy? Does it need replacing? Is it doing the job it’s meant to? Does it effectively remove the muck from what you’re washing?
Consciously focus your attention on the washing process…do you normally do this absent-mindedly? Have you got all the muck off? Have you missed a bit? Does it need more cleaning than it normally gets? Do you need to get a scourer? How does it feel?
Do you rinse? Do things drip dry? Do they get wiped up? How do you stack them while they are waiting to dry or have someone dry them? Are you structured/methodical in how your approach this? Are you more random/haphazard?
What insights have you gleaned from this? I would love to hear yours…
I’ll bet my bottom dollar that very few if any of you have paid this much conscious focussed attention to washing dishes. If we can be more present and conscious in the most mundane of tasks, imagine the wonder in our worlds if we applied this to many different aspects of our lives.
Consciousness in our lives enables us to make choices that are fully conscious as well, which hopefully means they are more right for us.
Consciousness in our lives enables us to be more deeply connected to one another and ourselves, which can add meaning to our lives.
Consciousness in our lives enable us to see the wondrous beauty that surrounds us at all times…and that can be a totally mind-blowing experience.
Let me know if you try this…
Peace & blessings, Sharon