doing the dishes

When I was at my sickest with my cancer treatments, I spent a lot of time just sitting on the couch watching my Mom do her daily work. It was the first time in my life that I realized how many hours she invested in keeping our home running smoothly. Specifically, I was shocked at how many times each day I watched her load and unload the dishwasher. What a singularly boring and repetitive task. I realized that she had no fondness for washing dishes but yet I saw her doing this same task constantly, with other family members rarely joining in.

After awhile I remember wishing that I could help her. It became a goal of mine to someday become strong enough that I could help my Mom with those awful dishes.

Of course, by the time I felt well again, I was preoccupied with my own dramas and I didn't lend a hand with the dishes nearly as often as I should have. But now when I have tasks in front of me--like dishwashing or other mundanities at work, school, etc., I often think of those many times that I watched Mom loading and unloading those dishes. And sometimes that helps me to remember that life is a lot about washing the dishes--those tasks that one doesn't particularly like, but that need to be done on a regular basis anyways. And hopefully the dishwashing is sometimes made just a bit easier by the great dinner parties that come beforehand. Or by having some friends join in the work.
:)