Thursday, September 4, 2008

Washing Dishes - View 2

I pop the baking into the oven and turn to survey the damages. Not too bad. I turn on the tap and fiddle with it until the water is pleasantly warm.

I begin with all the measuring devices; the spoons and the cups. Very small, very little effort. I look out the window and notice a hummingbird skirting around the camelia bush. I thought it was too late in the year for hummingbirds but there he is and then he's gone.

Next comes the mixing bowls. The flour-y one is quickly disposed of. The one that held the batter takes a bit more attention. A new bird grabs my attention; a flicker climbing on the back fence. I've never seen one this close before. I turn my attention to the various spoons and utensils that I used for mixing and then I'm done. I de-flour the counter and put away everything I washed.

Bing! And the baking is ready to come out. After it cools, I wash the baking pan and the cooling rack. I ask myself what is the difference between this washing up and the previous washing up. There is more of a connection to the action but why? Could it be that it isn't washing but part of the baking? Could it be that it was a controllable amount of washing? Or could it be that my mind was more open to being connected at this time? And, if that is the case, how do I become connected and opened to the less appealing acts of washing?

I strongly suspect that the answer lies within myself and not in the dirty dishes.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I was wondering, could it be a combination of seeing the birds (distraction of the mind) and the association of baking (your pleasure activity, obviously) with smaller clean-up? Comapare this with the routine (rut) of everyday make a meal, clean up a meal, make a meal, clean up a meal.. with loads of dishes to do. Love your post!

Anonymous said...

You could be right, Rick. I was thinking that noticing the birds might have been a function of the more relaxed mind set, surely there were birds during the icky scrubbing session, too. I don't know for sure yet. But this is how my mind works on it. And I wonder how to bring the same sort of attention to the less desirable tasks.