As a single mom – or any mom for that matter – life is filled with logistics and practical stuff to get done. Day in and day out.
I used to resent it all. Finding the repetitiveness of it all exhausting.
I guess my judgment towards the tasks was a product of the disregard in society for doing chores, keeping a home, and caring for children. (At least we pay people the least for doing these tasks – if we pay them at all.)
And in the wake of that, I found myself demonstrating arrogance towards performing these tasks and resenting them – even as necessary as they are when needing to get food on the table and the kids put to bed.
I noticed my thoughts saying things like “Oh, so mundane”. “This is boring”. “Why am I doing this?”. “I could spend my time on much better things than this”. “These tasks are way sub-par.”
My thoughts kept me in the suffering.
And then I remembered that if everything is an aspect of the divine, I can make every task my worship of just that. Every mundane chore is my opportunity to ritually honor the aspect of the divine of which the chore is part. I.e. Ritualizing the mundane.
Maybe that is what the Zen Buddhists were referring to in the saying: “Before enlightenment chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment chop wood, carry water.”?
And therein my power lies. My power to end my suffering.
And now, I’m off to do the dishes. I wish you a great day <3