Two Minutes Du Jour

For the past several months, we washed our dishes in the upstairs bathtub. Our fondly named “basement bistro” — a makeshift kitchen with a microwave, toaster oven, kitchen table, and pantry shelves — became the heart of our home during the remodel.

Before the construction chaos began, it occurred to me to buy two simple white dishpans. Those dishpans became our workhorses: one collected dirty dishes, the other held a basin of soapy water. After scrubbing and rinsing, the clean dishes drip-dried on a clean bathmat, then were wiped dry, reloaded in a clean dishpan, and carried back downstairs.

It was extra work. And surprisingly, I loved it.

I discovered that home is less about a particular room or set of appliances, and more about where we gather and how we live. Meals at the kitchen table, games after dinner, two comfy swivel chairs moved into our bedroom (our “common room,” in dormatory or frat-house lingo,if you will) for watching shows together — these moments grounded us, even as the space around us changed.

The remodel disrupted some routines and enriched others. Morning yoga often gave way to jumping right into the day. My office became a hoarder’s paradise of boxes and books waiting for their new places. But our daily walks with Duke remained a must, and I found more time to read and listen to podcasts as winter lingered. Writing and posting took a backseat to conversations with painters, electricians, cabinet makers, tilers, and plumbers — the orchestra of people making our updated space a reality.

Now that the remodel is nearly complete, we’re exploring the newness of the house. Some things are right where they used to be; others are still finding new spots (where is that lasagna pan?). There’s a delightful awkwardness in relearning our home.

But amid all this change, one lesson stands out: there’s joy in the everyday tasks, even something as simple as washing the dishes. Whether by hand or by dishwasher, dishwashing became a way to focus, to start and complete a small task, and to appreciate the order it brought to our little corner of the world.

Do I love doing dishes? Not exactly. But I treasure what they represent — care, home, routine, and renewal — no matter what kind of kitchen we’re in.

Two Links Du Jour:

Dishwashing Made Easy – The American Cleaning Institue

Finding Joy in Boring Chores – Psychology Today