[2021-03-20] Special moments
A colleague once told me that her favourite thing to do was dishes. Even when she had company over, she liked nothing better than to retreat to the kitchen where she could sink her hands into hot, soapy water and return things to their rightful order.
For the longest time, I didn't do dishes. I always had too much office work to do. So my husband did them during the day, and my children did them at night. Nothing wrong with that. Contributing around the house builds character.
My kids still do the dishes after supper. However, as I've been recovering from the various phases of my cancer treatment, I've been helping them whenever I've felt up to it. Doing dishes makes me feel useful. And, like my colleague, I enjoy the pleasant sensation of dunking my hands in warm water, the sweet smell of softly scented dish soap, the gentle melody of running water, the taste of a few more bites of delicious food as we put the leftovers away, and the pleasing sight of a clean kitchen—ready for the next meal.
But what I appreciate the most about doing dishes is the chance to spend time with my children. Shane and Melanie take turns cleaning up after supper, so when I do dishes with them, we're one on one. For 20 or so minutes every day, I have dedicated time with one of my kids. We talk about what came up over the course of the day or maybe what we're reading or listening to or watching. Often, it's the only time we really talk to each other for more than just a few minutes.
Walking with one of my kids affords the same opportunity for an intimate conversation between the two of us. So does spending time on our deck. I call that space Café Jen, after my first blog. The café is already open for the season. Today, my daughter and I spent an enjoyable hour absorbing the warmth of the first day of spring, listening to music, and discussing all sorts of fascinating topics. This is one of my favourite pastimes—something I'm able to enjoy from spring to fall.
All of this reminds me about the beauty of simple pleasures. I've always felt that no matter what I'm doing—cooking, cleaning, walking, shopping, lounging—if I'm doing it with someone I love, it is a special occasion.
When I was a child, we didn't have multiple TVs with numerous channels, computers or electronic devices in every room, and an endless supply of entertainment tailored to the needs of each person in the household. We had one TV with two channels—three if you counted the French one. We had no computers or smartphones. We had no Netflix. So when we weren't working on the farm, we were playing together. Our entertainment came mostly from games played outside (baseball, football, badminton) or inside (pool, table tennis, board games).
Today, it's so easy for us to be off in our own little worlds. That's why I'm grateful for every moment I get to spend with my kids, even if it's doing dishes.
