Washing Dishes

My dad sent a quote that I can't get out of my mind.

"If while washing dishes, we think only of the cup of tea that awaits us, this hurrying to get the dishes out of the way as if they were a nuisance, then we are not 'washing the dishes to wash the dishes.'  What's more, we are not alive during the time we are washing the dishes.  In fact, we are completely in capable of realizing the miracle of life while standing at the sink.  If we can't wash the dishes, chances are we won't be able to drink our tea either.  While drinking the cup of tea, we will only be thinking of other things, barely aware of the cup in our hands.  Thus we are sucked away into the future and we are incapable of actually living one minute of life." Thich Nhat Hanh

Another quote I have pinned on my board:

"For just one second, look at your life and see how perfect it is.  Stop looking for the next secret door that is going to lead you to your real life.  stop waiting.  This is it.  There's nothing else.  It's here, and you'd better decide to enjoy it or you're going to be miserable, wherever you go, for the rest of your life, forever." Lev Grossman

I wouldn't really ever consider myself a patient person, and this current stage is requiring a lot of patience for a lot of reason.

I wouldn't equate living in Spain to the drudgery of washing dishes, but I keep reminding myself to "wash the dishes."  I think about when I was little, and Anne and I would blast music while washing dishes.  I wouldn't say that washing dishes was the highlight of my day, but looking back, that's some of my favorite memories.

So, focusing on simply washing the dishes.  The cup of tea will come, but sometimes singing along to High School Musical while loading the dishes is even better than expected.