Okay, I know what you’re thinking already. Honestly, I really never saw this one coming.
So one day purely as a result of scrolling aimlessly at 5:30 am sipping my second cup of coffee, I accidentally happened upon an open invitation to join a group near me to learn about creative storytelling techniques. How could I not go? I was all in.
Fast forward to the date of the event. I arrived as you might expect …15 minutes early. Baby Boomers are prompt, after all.
I was greeted by the two organizers of the event who were very welcoming. The event took shape, albeit 15 minutes late, with 7 others from every walk of life, 16-72 yrs of age.
I’ll quickly outline the subject matter of the program's focus because it’s definitely become integral to the story for me.
We were instructed to list 20 story ideas that could be linked in 2 minutes time. Some of the group were able to list 5 items, some as much as 8…I listed 20 items with 10 seconds to spare. I’ve always been an overachiever.
The first word I wrote down on line #1 was “dishwasher”. It quickly became clear to me that although this was an unusual story line to begin with, everyone there either chuckled, smirked or nodded in total approval and understanding.
Then after this exercise was completed by everyone, I was the first one chosen to break the ice and expand on my response by sharing. Apparently, there was something in my story that was begging to be told. That being said, I was going to do this deep dive with complete strangers to unburden my achy heart.
Here’s the story…
Recently, the act of how I was loading the dirty dishes and glasses into the dishwasher was called into question.
Can you imagine the audacity of being asked if I was paying any attention to where I put the dirty dishes in the dishwasher or was I just hurling the spoons and glasses from across the room hoping they'd find their rightful place ?
My response was short and then defensive followed by being insulted and vowing never to involve myself in loading dishes “ever again.”
My husband knew when I added “never or ever to any sentence”...that he wasn’t in that much trouble with me.
I honestly didn’t give it another thought until I was asked again about this, a few loads later and was shown some dirty glasses after the load was done and the dishwasher song had concluded announcing that it’s job was complete.
However, it was not. This time I chose to pass on my annoyance to the dishwasher. I thought, obviously, the newer products being sold were poorly made and no longer competent at their jobs.
The phrase, “they don’t make ‘em like they used to” rang true again.
I moved on with my day. Typically, I’m much more accountable than this statement indicated.
The “issue” was gnawing at my ordinarily focused and methodical approach to mostly everything. What was causing this chaos that was trickling down to my disorganization inside my dishwasher?
There were two things occurring at the same time here.
That’s when I realized the connection, the link to the story that was quite out of character for me…the dishwasher was offering me an opportunity to witness the chaos within. The dishwasher became my therapist…not condemning me but simply demonstrating that something had to change.
Here’s what I finally began to realize. First of all, I was dealing with a deadline that seemed almost impossible to achieve. The pressure was coming from inside of me, not from my distractions with a simple day to day task gone awry. Secondly, my focus on things around me had fallen to the wayside because of this scattering of my attention.
Little details that I had previously managed superbly were crashing around me showing signs of my inability to handle those many plates in the air as I had before said distractions were requiring my undivided attention.
The lesson when this class was said and done was a simple one.
I needed to find and restore my balance in my day to day existence to then experience that internal harmony that was missing.
Honestly, I am now meticulous about loading the dishwasher and everything else seems to have fallen into the place.
Pat Larsen lives, works and plays in Greene County, NY with her husband of 50 years and their pup Lily. Pat’s most recent endeavor, Reflections…Anything but an Ordinary Life is now available on Amazon.com and is receiving excellent reviews.
You can reach Pat at 518-275-8686 to chat.
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