Thankful for Dirty Dishes
As I was grumbling over washing the dishes for what seemed like the hundredth time in one day, a poem etched on a ceramic dish in my mother's kitchen came to mind.
"Thank God for dirty dishes,
They have a tale to tell,
While others my go hungry,
We're eating very well."
I don't know who wrote this, where it came from, or even if it's a rhyme everyone already knows, but it helps me to remember all the things I'm thankful for that might at first glance - and sometimes even the hundredth - seem aggravating, a chore, or simply a daily grind. The areas I need to view in a positive light rather than in the negative manner I have a tendency to embrace.
Mind you, this is only a few of those things that make me want to grumble. Things I need to put into proper perspective. Getting stuck at the railway crossing for a slow moving train, that after seven agonizingly long and never-ending minutes, decides to move backwards, is not and may never be on this list! Then again, maybe I should find a way to use that time constructively instead of getting frustrated that I'm wasting away to nothing because I've been sitting there forever.
So, on that note, I'm thankful for:
Dirty dishes, because that means I have food.
Laundry, because that means I have clothes.
The need to vacuum the carpet, clean the toilets, wipe down the counters, etc., because that means I have a home.
The messes made by family, friends and furry companions, because that means I'm not alone.
I'm even thankful for the mistakes I've made which have caused me to learn and grow. One thing I don't ever want to be is stagnant from lack of growth or arrogant because I think I already know the answer. Frankly, just because a particular solution worked for someone else doesn't mean it will work for me, and vice versa.
While I certainly don't relish the chores, tasks, messes, and sorrows that are part and parcel of life, I am thankful for my life. Because I also get to experience, the love, laughter, joy, and beauty that come with it. And those I am most definitely thankful for.
"Thank God for dirty dishes,
They have a tale to tell,
While others my go hungry,
We're eating very well."
I don't know who wrote this, where it came from, or even if it's a rhyme everyone already knows, but it helps me to remember all the things I'm thankful for that might at first glance - and sometimes even the hundredth - seem aggravating, a chore, or simply a daily grind. The areas I need to view in a positive light rather than in the negative manner I have a tendency to embrace.
Mind you, this is only a few of those things that make me want to grumble. Things I need to put into proper perspective. Getting stuck at the railway crossing for a slow moving train, that after seven agonizingly long and never-ending minutes, decides to move backwards, is not and may never be on this list! Then again, maybe I should find a way to use that time constructively instead of getting frustrated that I'm wasting away to nothing because I've been sitting there forever.
So, on that note, I'm thankful for:
Dirty dishes, because that means I have food.
Laundry, because that means I have clothes.
The need to vacuum the carpet, clean the toilets, wipe down the counters, etc., because that means I have a home.
The messes made by family, friends and furry companions, because that means I'm not alone.
I'm even thankful for the mistakes I've made which have caused me to learn and grow. One thing I don't ever want to be is stagnant from lack of growth or arrogant because I think I already know the answer. Frankly, just because a particular solution worked for someone else doesn't mean it will work for me, and vice versa.
While I certainly don't relish the chores, tasks, messes, and sorrows that are part and parcel of life, I am thankful for my life. Because I also get to experience, the love, laughter, joy, and beauty that come with it. And those I am most definitely thankful for.
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