writing this as my sheets tumble in the washer. one precious lesson i learned during this past year of leisure time is the beauty of domestic chores. laundry, dishes, vacuuming, wiping down surfaces, meditation, stretching, staying hydrated, brushing my hair, brushing teeth, washing face, showering, organizing, cooking, deciding on what to eat, and at the end of the day, sleeping enough.
ofc ive been doing these things for a long time, but i found once i started to see chores as my main tasks of the day rather than the side tasks, i started to appreciate its effects on me in a more mindful way. the simple chore-ness of it became something fresh to appreciate. i started to develop my own style of doing chores and ways to be myself as i did my chores...
ive always been someone who can sleep for a long time. 10 hours on average. that means almost half of my 24 hour day is spent in sleep. im inclined to panic and think somehow im wasteful because waking life counts more as life… but now im fast to stop those thoughts before i believe it. i like who i am as someone who needs to sleep a lot, i like how lucky i am to be able to sleep intuitively. my sleep is productive bc it maintains my mind and who i am… u are what u eat, and maybe u are being u as u sleep too… in mysterious ways.
everything can be done in ur style, even doing chores. i told a friend recently… rather than asking if i should or shouldnt do something, i ask myself if this is something i would do, if its something thats my style, if this feels effortless. if what you get up and do easily without thinking are the things you like to do the most… then i really like doing chores. i dont hesitate to do any chore these days but if i want to work on something creative, i still let myself make excuses. one day ill get to the point where everything i want to work on are regarded as chores, something integral to the maintenance of my life. necessity creates consistency creates growth. maintenance as growth!
in many ways chores are the main event of life and have been for thousands of years. i guess what i’m saying is i’ve learned to be content and even entertained while lingering at the bottom half slices of maslows hierarchy of needs. and noticed that by appreciating my place here, a sense of self starts to come naturally. as i repeat the same chores over and over again, the dust in my mind settles and everything starts to feel like a thorough stretching routine, in the end i feel a little more flexible than before.
im curious to talk to domestic workers and full time home makers about what they learn about life by maintaining it as a living. it must be different to do it as a job than to do it for yourself, but maybe theres something vicarious about it. also thinking about… mukbangers, daily vloggers, village cooking youtube channels, aurikatariina, foster adopt families, trash workers, and def this guy.
my view on gossip changed in a similar way after i read sapiens. growing up were somehow taught to belittle gossiping as extraneous, distracting, unintelligent, but the world is built on myths, nothing else would ever happen if people didnt gossip first. i once said that gossip is the lubricant of life. i think chores are too…
yes i do the cooking yes i do the cleaning,
mad
on chores
chores as an indicator that you are living and appreciating every day
chores as a way to stay grounded in reality
chores as labor that is not compensated in material wealth but in spiritual health