Dishwasher Zen
Calming your mind when meditation isn’t working
Once again my mind was trying to devour itself at 4 am. Once again it was awash with a slurry of unfinished thoughts and unfounded worries.
All my usual techniques for quieting the chatter had failed. So, I admitted defeat, got out of bed and padded into the kitchen.
I didn’t want to read, I couldn’t sleep, and emptying the dishwasher would wake up the whole house.
Or would it?
Have you ever tried emptying a dishwasher completely silently?
The seminal book Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi investigates the science of the “optimal experience” as a way to provide a blueprint for happiness.
The book defines flow as that elusive state that exists between boredom and anxiety, where you are challenged, but not too challenged, toward an achievable, but too achievable goal.
A pianist playing a complicated piece. A tennis player taking on a worthy adversary. A scientist on the edge of a breakthrough.
Meanwhile, back in my kitchen at 4 am, I came upon an idea. Could I unload the dishwasher without making a sound?
It had all the elements of both mind-clearing meditation, and flow. It would require:
- Total concentration, no room for worrying thoughts
- Full intentionality, zoning out would result in a crash or bang
- Challenge- but not too much challenge
- Completion of an achievable goal (chore done!)
I took a deep breath and began.
The normal clatter of emptying the dishwasher took on the hushed tension of a game of Jenga.
I took the handle of a large saucepan and glacially began to lift it straight up, watching carefully as the two ceramic bowls leaning on either side of it were gently released without making a sound.
It was the dishwasher equivalent of a cat burglar jewelry heist and it was weirdly satisfying.
I was a monk living at intersection of Tai Chi and K.P.
I dislodged each dish this way. A slo-mo kitchen ballet. My cats looked on in disbelief.
If unloading a dish was Jenga, then putting it in its drawer was a game of Operation.
Try placing a metal spoon on top of a stack of metal spoons silently. It requires a lot of forethought and a very steady hand. (Pro tip: limit the surface area of the impact).
By the time I finished with all the dishes, I felt calmer, a little exhilarated and happy to have knocked something off the list of chores.
Still, taking 30 minutes to perform a 5 minute task was clearly a waste of time.
Or was it?
