In my sidebar I link to a blogpost called My Loud Dishwasher. It’s a story of finding gratitude in unlikely places. Today’s post is a follow up. Here is an excerpt from My Loud Dishwasher–
What’s teeny, tiny, and beige all over?
Our kitchen.
It’s the kind of kitchen you would find in a camper. With a whopping total of 4 drawers, 6 cupboards, and literally two feet of counter space it would be perfect if you were a single minimalist living in the 1980’s.
It’s okay though, because one thing it does have is a dishwasher. It’s clunky, old and it is LOUD. The volume is like having a monster truck rally in our kitchen. And I am totally fine with that!
When I hear that dishwasher spraying and swishing, heating and drying, I am just reminded of all the dishes I am not washing by hand. Sometimes when the rhythm of the noise is just right I swear it is to the tune of the opening chorus from Les Miserables…
A few months after expressing my love for the loud clunky dishwasher we moved and our rental house has a dishwasher that has never worked. For the past two years I have been back to washing my dishes by hand and you know what? It’s not so bad. There are actually a few recent studies that cite the benefits of washing dishes by hand. One that claims it reduces the risk of allergies. Sometimes our ultra sterile environment actually does more harm than good and according to this research such is the case with dish washers.
Also, when I wrote about my loud dishwasher I had several people respond with how they actually enjoyed washing dishes by hand and found it therapeutic. Then I guess I shouldn’t be surprised to hear that washing dishes by hand has been proven to reduce stress!
I am not always this annoyingly optimistic by the way, but sometimes you just embrace where you’re at. I would love to have a dishwasher again someday. I have 4 kids and we eat at home a lot, so I don’t think that’s too much to ask for. Another thing I like about dishwashers is that with the newer energy star machines it actually conserves more water than washing dishes by hand.* I am all about that.
For now though I am choosing to focus on the good and hopefully my story is an encouragement for others in a season of transition.
We can choose to see the glass as half full, even if it was a glass washed by hand.
* I am editing this post to add that using a dishwasher isn’t always better for the environment. It depends on the type of washer, how many dishes you have to wash etc. But for the amount of dishes I wash I would probably save water with a dishwasher. *
Our dish washer doesn’t work like the one we had in Ohio, but it is nice to have so that I don’t have to hand wash dishes. Sometimes I choose to wash dishes by hand, but now that I have two that is less often.
I just love your topic for the 31 Day challenge! And your positive attitude. It will get you a long way. I can’t wait to read more.
That’s very kind of you. Thank you.
Great perspective! I have lived without a dishwasher and with one but the big difference to me was in baking- I find I do much more baking now when I can just throw all the dishes in the machine. But there is something great about slowing down to wash dishes by hand…
I love baking too. I think when we do have a dishwasher again I’ll do a mixture of both. I don’t feel like I have to have it running every night, but the times that the dishes pile up, oy, that’s when the gratitude takes a little extra effort.
I agree with you, we always have something to be thankful for! Dishes my hand may be taxing at times but, at least you don’t have chunks of unwashed food stuck to plates like dishwashers sometimes lead to! It’s the little things ;)!
I forgot about that part, but you are so right!