"Triumphing in the Battle of Many Wants PART 1"

OR DOING THE DISHES.... 

Superhero in Me to the Rescue!

The Many Wants:

Right now part of me wants to finish washing the dishes. 

After which, I imagine that the superhero housewife in me will scrub the kitchen, prepare all the vegetables for the next meal, do an inventory of what groceries need to be purchased, go to the shops, come home to sweep all the floors, clean all the sinks and surfaces, sort out the file boxes hidden under a plastic tablecloth behind the shoe-rack etc. etc.

Part of me really, really wants to be that organised and logical and self-disciplined.

And then there is the other voice in my head. The one that says "I feel stiff and sore and the thoughts of cleaning the dishes just heightens every discomfort and makes me feel that the chore I have set myself, is just ones of those tasks you drag yourself through, even though every fibre of your being is saying 'enough already!'"

The first voice has got a heavy dose of ego-like ambition and disrespect in it. The second smacks of fear, anxiety and self-pity.

Virtuous wanting must start with a reckoning of:

•  objective needs and
•  self-respect.

Finding a Resolution: 

So objectively, I can acknowledge that bodies and minds need rest and movement. Feelings of stiffnesss might be best addressed through appropriate stretching excercises 

or adequate sleep- not watching movies and ummm blogging? :)

That said... I don't feel stiff right now, even though I am sitting in a rather rigid pose before my PC. Why not? Because I am in a state of flow- i.e. my mind is creatively engrossed in the task at hand, and the excitement of that process, overrides minor discomforts.

If only I could make the household chores creative and exciting maybe I would be onto something…...

cerebral dish-washing

 So of course, I just googled “creative dish-washing”. Apart from finding some rather artisitic images like the one opposite and several funky dish-washing tool designs, I came across some curious blog entries by women ( no men writing on this topic). 

 I say curious, because one of these women actually seems to sort of enjoy dish washing. She seeks it out when she is stuck for ideas, as she feels that it satisfies a primal need to interact with water and I think the repetitive uncomplicated task relaxes her brain so that ideas can pop-up when she is scrubbing: How-a-sink-of-dirty-dishwater-sparks-my-creativity

Another woman, less enthused by dish-washing for her own sake, enjoys the opportunity it affords for bonding with her little one: Cerebral Dish-Washing

I must admit I have often wished I could borrow my nephews to make dish-washing more fun!!

So what did I end up doing?

In the end, after reading all these inspiring posts I set up the stage to wash my dishes in a funky green basin by Joseph and Joseph- in the living room. You see, I figured that part of the problem was the oppressively mould covered state of the kitchen walls and the hemmed in feeling I get when cramped up in our tiny galley kitchen.

I also realised that I needed the right kind of music to get me into a good rhythm; The trouble was finding the best rhythm. So I have spent some time experimenting with different playlists on my YouTube channel Mood Music. 

I assumed at first that of the Five Rhythms, flow was the one most suited to my personality. Now I am not so sure. More on this in a future  blog post!! For now I recommend you check out some of my playlists or create your own...

Click here for more songs on my Rousing Music Playlist. I am putting it on myself NOW!

Better get back to the housework. 

Whilst I am gone, please share what helps you mentally, to feel happier about housework?