Wednesday, January 13, 2010
In solitude I unlearn all tension; I rid myself of the strains that have falsified me in the presence of others and which have put harshness in my words to others. Merton paraphrased
Domestic work can be cathartic. Faced with the tough choices my current economic realities present throwing myself at an unkempt kitchen can lighten the soul. With summer camps, vacations, home repairs and sports activities all needing funding, and with my investments in auto companies and banks having under performed a little soul lightening made sense. Okay, I hear you thinking he is weird. Hey when life turns tough I turn toward cleaning.
My better half was hurting from a crushing sinus headache brought on by an infection that never seems to abate. Her aches sometimes lay her out. On Monday she stayed home. Despite her hope in staying at the house to just crawl under the covers she realizes as I often do in those situations that life in our world just does not stop. Between moments of respite she carried out the planning and cooking of our week’s meals. As she pointed out to me she cleaned up the cooking pans with one exception, a roasting pan that needed to soak.
The roasting pan is big and unwieldy. Sitting in the sink it really doesn’t allow other dishes, cups, knives and forks to accumulate with it. These get parked on the counter next to the now bubble less slime that is the soak material for the pan. Dishes back up fast with two kids and a voracious husband about.
Last night my goal was not to attack the roasting pan. I had a simple plan. Because the morning prep for school and work is often chaotic I would make lunches in advance. As I have postulated before, my life is ruled by the theory (or is it law) of multiplying antecedent steps.
To make lunches I had to have clear counter space. To have clear counter space I had to deal with the amassed dishes. To deal with the grit encrusted, mint ice cream tinted plates and flatware I had to scrub by hand the roasting pan and to load the dishwasher. To load the dishwasher I had to empty it of the clean dishes first. To effectively clean the roaster I had to empty the detritus around the sink into the kitchen waste bin. To empty the scraps and like into the bin I had to remove the completely full bag of trash that was already there and take it to the outdoor garbage can. To make that trek I had to put shoes on and shovel a path to the dumpster. Back inside I put a new bag in the waste basket relining it and thus actually beginning to get the whole job done. Oh I cleaned off the glass stove top as a bonus.
What started as a six minute job took two hours and put me to bed after midnight. When I was done I felt good. I was catharticized. Today I am dog ass tired but last night I was proud of accomplishing something tangible. With all the stresses of the world sometime you just need to clean something.
3 comments:
and I had thought that I was the only one who has experiences that sequence as you wrote due to my ADHD symptoms and getting side tracked into the next step...however you have justified my thinking, my process, and I realize now that my process is just as normal as yours. Enjoyed your blog tonight you are still good for a laugh and food for thought.
I fear that Boyd will be commenting about my choice of justifying my classification of normal based on you. I guess there could be worse characterizations of normal.
Lisa, Jay's description and your embrace of it IS the commonality that brings you and I, complete strangers, together in mutual understanding. That said, I usually get lost taking trash out because I see an overflowing laundry bin on the way out the door so then I start a load of laundry and notice that the groceries I had the boys drop downstairs are still in bags on the floor. In putting them into the pantry I see a neat way I could rearrange the cans for better fit and functionality then...well..you get the picture. Good to see you back Jay.
Somehow, based on Jay's description, maybe we're all closer to "normal" than we thought. Or perhaps that just describes those of us who find Jay's observations hit so close to home.
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