Notes from the Kitchen Sink
In the soft glow of my kitchen window, hands immersed in warm, soapy water, I've discovered an unexpected form of rebellion. Not in breaking dishes or refusing to clean them, but in something far more subversive: being fully present while washing them.
This might seem strange at first. After all, isn't dishwashing the perfect time to multitask? To listen to podcasts, plan tomorrow's meetings, or catch up on phone calls? That's what they want us to think - that every moment must be "optimized," every second squeezed for productivity.
But here's the quiet truth I've found:
When you do dishes, just do dishes.
Feel the temperature of the water. Notice how light plays on soap bubbles. Listen to the gentle clink of plates. This isn't mindfulness for mindfulness's sake - it's a deliberate act of resistance against a world that demands constant divided attention.
Consider the industrial revolution's legacy: "I don't want a nation of thinkers, I want a nation of workers." Today's equivalent might be:
"I don't want a nation of present, conscious humans - I want a nation of distracted consumers."
Every moment we spend fully immersed in a simple task is a moment we reclaim from the machinery of perpetual distraction.
When we wash dishes mindfully, we're doing more than cleaning - we're declaring that this moment, however humble, deserves our full attention. We're asserting that life isn't just about the highlight reel, the big moments, the "important" things. It's about being truly alive in all the small moments in between.
This isn't about perfection. Your mind will wander. Mine certainly does. But each time you gently return your attention to the warm water, the soap, the simple movements of cleaning, you're practicing something profound: the art of being fully human in a world that prefers you partially present.
Start small. One dish, fully experienced. Let that be enough. Let that be revolutionary.
After all, rebellion doesn't always roar. Sometimes it whispers, in the quiet splash of dishwater, in the conscious choice to be fully here, now, doing just this one simple thing.
Take it slow. Keep it simple. Just wash the dishes.
Part of the ongoing Luddlife exploration of intentional living and quiet rebellion against the culture of perpetual distraction.