Anyone who knows me knows this, I love to cook but hate doing dishes. Thirteen years of doing dishes hasn’t changed anything. I’m still not in a state of acceptance – this is something I have to do (as long I cook and eat) and I need to make peace with it. I secretly wish that someone else (husband or kids) would do it for me on a daily basis, or I would stumble on a magic wand that I could swish over the dirty sink and it would be transformed into a sparkling pile of dishes neatly arranged on a dish rack! This wish grew stronger in the beginning of last year when I found myself working and trying to cook and do dishes every night. Guess what? A year later my wish came true but not exactly in the best way.
Everyone who knows me also knows how much I hate the cold and after a five-year hiatus in sunny Florida I’m back in a place where the temperature hovers around zero degrees. What you don’t know about me is that I have this strange affliction that makes my feet and hands get really cold, blue and in extreme cases swollen, numb, red, itchy and flaky. After seeing the state of my hands, my husband took over the task of cleaning dishes. He used to help with dishes over the weekend but not on weekdays when he’s bogged down with work. Now after a long day, he finds himself in front of a sink full of dirty dishes.
Part of me felt good about it but part of me felt bad for not being able to do something as simple as washing dishes. Able to do dishes and other chores around the house is a sign of good health and energy. How many people find it hard to get through everyday chores because of poor health? And here I was perfectly healthy and capable, but so blind, discontent and royally spoilt to wish for something so idiotic!
So my wish has been granted but instead of feeling elated I feel like a complete moron. Thankfully, the universe doesn’t mind do-overs. Although a do-over of my pea brain may be impossible, I can do over my wish list. So here goes…I wish for vibrant health and vitality and a diligent spirit that doesn’t shirk from everyday chores. A spirit that welcomes a helping hand if one is offered or simply carries on happily when no help is forthcoming. A sound mind that can discern and wish for things that are not shallow and selfish.
Hopefully this will be the year that it all finally sinks in – that I have it good and should stop comparing myself to others. That I should wish more for others who are suffering instead of wanting more for myself. To put the needy little ‘I’ in an iron casket, bolt it and let it sink to the bottom of the sea.
Maybe you made wishes for the new year. Be sure to examine those wishes to see if there are any selfish motives or agendas hidden in it. A good idea would be to count your blessings before you start making a wish list. Feel deeply grateful for what you have – whether it’s health, family, a fulfilling career or friends. Then from there look forward to see if you can add to your bounty. If you start making wishes from a place of lack, your wishes are deprived of the magic of a grateful heart. No matter how bad you have it, someone has it worse than you. So try really hard to be thankful and be careful what you wish for because it just may come true!
Punctuate Life 