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Tuesday
Feb202007
Will was right
February 20, 2007
Have you ever seen that Saturday Night Live skit where Garth Brooks (as some unknown country singer) sells his soul to the devil so that he can write a hit song? And then the devil shows up and it's Will Ferrell with a black trench coat and some red paint on his face? And it turns out that selling your soul to the devil is just plain dumb, because all of his songs are stupid, like "Fred's Got Slacks" but the one I'm really thinking of is "Mondays oh I hate Mondays... oh oh oh oh oh oh oh... Weekends! I prefer the Weekends!"
Because Mondays, oh I hate Mondays. And I do prefer the weekends. There is no greater happiness than a Saturday afternoon, after I've put my younger two in bed for a nap and I sit on my little couch with a cup of tea and read, or write, or lately, knit. Oh happiness. On weekdays I am very, very busy. As soon as my little ones are napping I am rushing around doing various office work and administrative blahdy blah blah, and I think that the idea of the impending week just kills me on Mondays.Â
But, I can write again, because it's Tuesday and I am not paralysed with fear and dread anymore, so I can write my way out of it. Like, I can tell you how I'm going to start calling chores "meditations". We will not use that word, chores, anymore. "I'm getting up from the table now, because I have to do the dish meditations," or, "I can't come out and play just yet, I have to do some meditations." Plural like that, because I think it sounds cuter.Â
I'm not talking about in a lofty, detached way of doing things, but more a trippy, "dude, this soap is really sudsy and it feels soft on my hands" way. You know, noticing. Marveling. Like a kid who loves to use the vacuum because it's just so cool.Â
Think about the way it feels to bathe your newborn for the very first time. You hold them so gingerly, you are a little scared of all this water near their little open nostrils. They are tiny and bird-like and they might cry, if they are like Kid-A, or smile, if they are like YaYa. But you are so reverent. Then think about the way you bathe your little kids now (maybe this is just me) as you dump a cup of water over their heads and hurriedly wash their hair. You're thinking, "Didn't we just DO this?" I'm saying that I want to bathe my baby slowly, marveling over his toes and how they look more and more like his dad's, aware of the water, my baby's skin, and how intricately he has been formed, what a miracle he is.Â
So, there you go. I'm just writing over my reluctance to do things I consider mundane (like make the bed for the sixteen thousandth flipping time in my life) trying to tattoo my hands with the words: slow down, be thankful, consider, and above all: give a sacrifice of praise.
Because Mondays, oh I hate Mondays. And I do prefer the weekends. There is no greater happiness than a Saturday afternoon, after I've put my younger two in bed for a nap and I sit on my little couch with a cup of tea and read, or write, or lately, knit. Oh happiness. On weekdays I am very, very busy. As soon as my little ones are napping I am rushing around doing various office work and administrative blahdy blah blah, and I think that the idea of the impending week just kills me on Mondays.Â
But, I can write again, because it's Tuesday and I am not paralysed with fear and dread anymore, so I can write my way out of it. Like, I can tell you how I'm going to start calling chores "meditations". We will not use that word, chores, anymore. "I'm getting up from the table now, because I have to do the dish meditations," or, "I can't come out and play just yet, I have to do some meditations." Plural like that, because I think it sounds cuter.Â
I'm not talking about in a lofty, detached way of doing things, but more a trippy, "dude, this soap is really sudsy and it feels soft on my hands" way. You know, noticing. Marveling. Like a kid who loves to use the vacuum because it's just so cool.Â
Think about the way it feels to bathe your newborn for the very first time. You hold them so gingerly, you are a little scared of all this water near their little open nostrils. They are tiny and bird-like and they might cry, if they are like Kid-A, or smile, if they are like YaYa. But you are so reverent. Then think about the way you bathe your little kids now (maybe this is just me) as you dump a cup of water over their heads and hurriedly wash their hair. You're thinking, "Didn't we just DO this?" I'm saying that I want to bathe my baby slowly, marveling over his toes and how they look more and more like his dad's, aware of the water, my baby's skin, and how intricately he has been formed, what a miracle he is.Â
So, there you go. I'm just writing over my reluctance to do things I consider mundane (like make the bed for the sixteen thousandth flipping time in my life) trying to tattoo my hands with the words: slow down, be thankful, consider, and above all: give a sacrifice of praise.
Reader Comments (10)
Nice idea. I remember when I was getting ready to have my daughter and enjoyed so much the act of getting to wash and put away all of her clothes in her room. Now, I look at the heap of clean laundry I have to fold and put away of which 70% is hers and think - not now. (And hope that someone sneaks into my house and does it for me...)
But to actually enjoy it each and every time. That is a nice idea. I think I'll try it.
I love the idea of calling chores "meditations". It takes the negative effect of the word away! Now I just have to figure out what to call homework...
Coming out of lurkdom for this one. I so often feel like I am buried in the mundane tasks of life just waiting for the chance to stop and reflect, to be grateful, to meditate. Thanks for the reminder that is it more about my attitude toward what I am doing than what I am actually doing. I once read something (in a Lauren Winner book?) about cutting an onion as an act of worship/meditation/thanksgiving...if I could only learn to appreciate the beauty of creation like that. Now I'm off to marvel at the beauty of a pile of clean, white, neatly folded diapers.
I found your blog via "Notes from the Trenches," and, as a Christian who lived in community and a mother of two, I really enjoy your writing and reflections. Keep it up.
What a timely post for me. I'm attempting to live more "in the moment"- finding joy in whatever it is I'm having to do. I thnk I've been coming at it more from the lofty side and will have to try the trippy angle. I'm gonna go get started on my nasty bathrooms with a new attitude-more of marvel and gratitude than of guilt and duty. Thanks for the encouragement!
Joining in to add my own AMEN SISTA to this idea.....brilliant, it really resonated for me and I truly agree that this changes how our kids grow up feeling about those activities so to me it has long term benefits along with the moment's noticing of the beauty in simple things we need to live.
thanks Rae.....wow......
Oh, I need that reminder too- because so much of life is way too mundane otherwise. Hey, We sent two pounds of coffee with J&C. One is for them but I'm not sure they know that. Erik said it wasn't his best batch, but he'd love to know what you think anyway. Enjoy!
Beautiful, Rae. Doing everything--the tiniest of things--as an act of praise is my focus for '07. I'll go in with you on the hand tattoos!
I remember reading somewhere that just getting up and feeding the children (and then doing the washing-up, making the beds, and the other many "meditations" that make up our days) when we'd really rather be in bed with a book and a large slab of chocolate, is the most spiritual thing we can do. I remind myself of that often.
But you're right - to do something in the moment, enjoy it for what it is, meditate on its pleasures is the only way to live. When I take pleasure in the moment, I have joy, when I rush, then I have stress. It's obvious, really.
i havn't seen the skit of will and garth but it sounds funny,
my partner and father of our girls Laksmi and Revati is constantly reminding us of how our service in the home ashram is loving meditation to god, we cherish that belief together, having said that we let the home be itself because if we stress about the mess (what we think to be mess ) we reflect that on the kids and the whole meditation of keeping our home safe and warm becomes awash in negative projection,
i've learned over the years that reflecting positive affirmation in the day to day can really spark unity within a fam,
words are powerful when we use them to reflect spiritual practice and graceful communication,
I've been reading : Speak Peace in a world of Conflict , what you say wll change your world
by Dr. Marshal Rosenberg for the past year,
My partner and i have watched workshops on NVC and read as well as practiced : (Nonviolent communication , Language of compassion. Dr. Marshal's first book )he is a wonderful empowering spritually aware writer,
i am part of an international NVC parenting online group and we are constantly sharing lots, http://www.cnvc.org
I encourage anyone interested to check the site out and out!!!
i love my meditation.