Washing Dishes by Thich Nhat Hanh

[Guest guest]

" To my mind, the idea that doing dishes is unpleasant can occur

only when you aren't doing them. Once you are standing in front of

the sink with your sleeves rolled up and your hands in the warm

water, it is really quite pleasant. I enjoy taking my time with each

dish, being fully aware of the dish, the water, and each movement of

my hands. I know that if I hurry in order to eat dessert sooner, the

time of washing dishes will be unpleasant and not worth living. That

would be a pity, for each minute, each second of life is a miracle!

If I am incapable of washing dishes joyfully, if I want to

finish

them quickly so I can go and have dessert, I will be equally

incapable of enjoying my dessert. With the fork in my hand, I will

be

thinking about what to do next, and the texture and the flavor of

the

dessert, together with the pleasure of eating it, will be lost. I

will always be dragged into the future, never able to live in the

present moment.

Each thought, each action in the sunlight of awareness becomes

sacred. In this light, no boundary exists between the sacred and the

profane. I must confess it takes me a bit longer to do the dishes,

but I live fully in every moment, and I am happy. Washing the dishes

is at the same time a means and an end -- that is, not only do we do

the dishes in order to have clean dishes, we also do the dishes just

to do the dishes, to live fully in each moment while washing them. "

This passage was taken from the book called, " Peace Is Every Step:

The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life " by Thich Nhat Hanh,

published by Bantam Book. This is an excellent book, and no, " it

isn't all about washing dishes " !! pj

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