Housework as Meditation

Growing up I hated housework as it seemed like some arbitrary punishment that my mother foisted upon us every Saturday.  Some of it made sense like washing the dishes, but other things like dusting an already polished surface made no sense at all.  I grew to hate housework more when I grew up and got married because it seemed as if I was the maid picking up after a houseful of slobs.  My now ex-husband thought that if you cooked you should also do dishes and since I always cooked, I was supposed to always do the dishes.  And once the kids got old enough to walk, it felt like I was following them around with a pail and shovel.

Fast forward a few years till after my divorce when I was living alone in a beautiful apartment and, while I still wasn’t thrilled about the act of cleaning, I did start to realize how calming and relaxing it was to sit in a room where everything was put away, where the floor glistened, and where I could smell a faint whiff of furniture polish in the air. I’ve come to understand that learning to truly enjoy a clean house had a lot to do with knowing that if I put something away, it was going to stay put away unless I moved it.  No more following people around with a pail and shovel.

It wasn’t until my dishwasher went on the fritz a while ago, that I started to realize the joys of cleaning for cleaning’s sake and how calming it was.  That realization came to me when I purchased my first bottle of really expensive organic dish soap.  Before I’d always purchased whatever was cheapest at the grocery store, but when I realized I was going to be doing dishes by hand for a least a little while, I splurged and bought geranium scented dish soap and it changed my view of housework forever.

There is something amazingly therapeutic about filling the sink with water that is just the perfect bathwater temperature and then adding those amazing smelling bubbles.  As I stand at the window looking out at my backyard, I’m filled with a true sense of peace as I wash and wash the dishes.  It doesn’t seem to matter that I’m always doing dishes, I really do enjoy standing there and washing them by hand.  Although, I have managed to convince my kids that if I’m washing, they need to put away.

Once the dishes are done, I move on to the counters an wipe them down with sweet smelling liquid that fills the room with a gentle fragrance.  Somehow I feel as if when I’m wiping away the crumbs on the counter, I’m also wiping away the cares of the day so that I can start fresh tomorrow.

I don’t think I will ever love vacuuming, but I do love sweeping and polishing my hardwood floors.  My hardwood floors are original to the house and I love the fact that m house has been filled with love and laughter since 1939.  Sweeping and polishing my floors helps me feel connected to all the people who have lived in my house before me and I love seeing the floors reflecting the fire in the fireplace.

Housework might not be the most traditional form of meditation, but when I’m feeling stressed and anxious and sitting meditation isn’t working for me, I’ll get up and run the water and wash some dishes or polish the floors.  The repetitive motion relaxes me and truly helps me empty my mind and, as an added bonus, my house actually gets clean.