Easy Saturday In Gray

As forecasted, it's gray and rainy today. I'm actually a little happy about it - it's encouraging me to stay in here and get this place a little cleaned up. Kelly will be home late tonight, and doesn't need to see the mess I make when I'm alone. I slept a full eight hours last night (albeit 4am-noon, and on the couch) and woke up feeling rested and ready for a new day. I noticed last night that even if Kelly wasn't coming home from Antigua (and she is actually trying to get her flight delayed a day or two... hehe) I still wanted to clean this place up today. It was a feeling deep in my bones. Odd, really, but good.

I have also had an important realization. How I handle my dishes is a strong indicator of my mental/emotional state. There is a strong correllation between how readily I wash them, and how much time I spend on the couch basically disappearing from the world. If I'm keeping up with them, I'm feeling fine and able to keep up with at least my basic responsibilities. If I'm letting them pile up in the sink, and onto the counters, and overwhelm the kitchen... I'm not OK. That's what's been going on this week. Almost all the dishes I own are dirty right now. And all week I've been spending a lot of time in pajamas, lazy side overriding logic, on the couch. (BTW - I'm not talking causation here. Just that the correllation is strong.) This extends to how I care (or don't) for other areas of my house: vaccuuming, litter boxes, laundry... But the dishes are the first one to stop (or start).

A couple years ago, I read an article by one of my favorite writers, Laura Didyk. It was called "How Doing Dishes Saved My Life" (can be found on Kripalu.org under Off the Mat columns in their library). I felt connected to it at the time, but am now realizing just why it resonated so deeply in me.

What I'm finding most interesting is that the correllation is so clear both ways. Most of this week I've felt like I'm struggling - and I haven't been doing my dishes. But today I feel good. I want to work out, I want to clean the apt, I want to apply for jobs, finish my taxes, do some crosswords and kenken puzzles (sudoku-like and addictive!)... and yes, I want to do my dishes. Strange how obvious it is.

And it could be helpful in the future. If I catch myself not doing them daily, I know I'm coming into a bad place. And just maybe I will be able to do something to pull myself out before it takes me over. I'll keep you posted.

For now, the kitchen is calling me and I'm off to answer it. Happy Saturday!