Que Sera Sara?

Simplify

Posted by smgrady on September 24, 2016 · 1 Comment 

things are manic this fall. 

I’m teaching a night class; Beanie’s seeing evening clients; I’m traveling a bunch, especially right at the end of my talk tour season.

We can go whole weeks without an evening at home. So normal nesting routines of slow roasted squash and seasonal charm will be seized in small moments and/or shelved for a while. 

So, to keep our heads on straight, we decided to simplify. 

Some things just aren’t getting done, so we may as well choose which. 

And we chose dishes. 

We haven’t had a dishwasher in years. It’s annoying, but not impossible. 

Just a nuisance that could be solved with a lot of money and a lot of time, of which right now we have neither (lease negotiations and renters insurance shopping are super low on my priorities).

 So we’re cutting down.

We boxed up all our dishes except the bare minimum: 4 plates (2 big, 2 little),  2 bowls, 4 cups, one skillet, 2 sauce pans, plus a couple of mixing bowls and a smattering of utensils. 

Now, all the dishes can be done in the time it takes pasta to boil — which is usually when they get done, one cooks while the other washes. And even if everything is dirty, out counter is mostly clean and functional.

It has been a total lifesaver.

Are there actually fewer minutes at the sink? Probably not many — though now nothing can be left to fester or cement, I’d wager a few.

But it has been a ridiculously huge mental relief. 

In the last two weeks it has saved so much headache and aggravation. The stacks of dishes were a constant (gross) reminder of petty inadequacies and a never ending to do list which felt overwhelming and guilty.

Not being reminded of that every time I walk into the room (and we have only 4, so that was incredibly often) is a huge win for mental space and calm for us both.

I’m loving it. For now. (And that’s totally enough.)