No Use Crying Over Dirty Dishes

Some of us are losing sleep over the sink getting dirty. I’m serious, people live in fear of what will happen to them if their sink gets filled with dirty dishes. It’s silly right? You’re bound to cook and eat almost every day, it’s just a part of life and not a big deal.

The same way dirty dishes pile up in the sink every day, the headaches, challenges and disappointments of life will pile up in front of you on a daily basis. In the same way you know that it will take a little bit of time, attention, effort and the right tools to clear the sink, you can do the same thing for the challenges of any size you may encounter.

You don’t have to hold the anxiety of what’s to come close to you. It will happen. Your kids won’t listen, your parents wont listen. Rush hour traffic is not going anywhere. Your boss will be an asshole (your words, not mine!) Unexpected expenses will creep up, health problems will take you by surprise. If it’s not one issue, it’s another taking up space in your sink.

Tools are the Key

Don’t clutter your mind and exhaust your limited time and energy on the unavoidable bumps in the road. Certainly not when the tools to take care of your mess are sitting right in front of you. For instance, maybe the soap you’re using isn’t strong enough or you have an old sponge. If you don’t have a sponge then get one, if you don’t like the soap change it. If the water is too cold, adjust the temperature. As you begin to use your tools and dedicate the time to cleaning up each little mess as it comes, you will get faster and more efficient.

We all know that one person in our lives who seems to have it all together. They breeze right through their issues and nothing seems to stick to them or weigh them down. Everything rolls off their back, they’re light as a feather, peaceful and purposeful. It’s not because bad things don’t happen to them, it’s because they have their tools ready and available each day to make the work go faster, and then they do the work.

The most powerful drill in the world is useless if you don’t turn it on. That self-help book sitting unread on your desk is a paperweight. That yoga membership card only takes up space in your wallet if you don’t whip it out and attend the classes. Tools plus effort equals solutions, don’t expect that having enough of one makes the other unnecessary.

The Choice is Yours

As each issue creeps up, identify your time and effort saving tools. Pat yourself on the back for making your next task easier and then get to work. Make that phone call, send that email, make that healthy meal and attend that exercise class. Getting started is the hardest part, but you already have all the tools in front of you to get the job done. You’re a pretty smart cookie, so trust yourself.

However, sometimes you can soak and treat and scrub something all you like and it’s still unusable. In that case, you thank it for its service and let it go. You may never be able to replace that pan, but you will find a way to get through tomorrow without it. Maybe you have other things you can cook with. Maybe getting rid of this pan that just can’t be saved makes room for a newer, better one that you love to use even more. You never would have given the better pan chance if the old one wasn’t discarded.

Even the biggest worry is only as big as you allow it to be. You are the master of the scales and you alone determine the weight of each problem. So whether it’s a giant filthy cast iron dutch oven or a lightly used fork is up to you. Either way, clean it up, put it away and move on with your life. Just like you do with the dirty dishes, anything else can be taken care of and sorted out. It doesn’t have to weigh you down, just like that dirty spoon from 6 weeks ago didn’t.