
I was cleaning the kitchen tonight, which all good Buddhist writers will tell you really helps you focus on being mindful, opens ideas up in a way quite similar to meditation, and a whole bunch of other great things (which probably include repairing that ouchy hangnail and finally figuring out a cheap way to hang those art posters you have had in tubes for years, left hiding for no one to see).
Growing up in the Midwest–and maybe elsewhere, though I feel like this is part of being Midwestern–a lot of “Clean Plate Club” style rules are commonly ingrained into belief systems. A good example of these was something I learned from my mom–essentially, if you’re doing the dishes, you’re also cleaning the kitchen, so don’t just start it, finish it up.
Sound logic, really. It meant that the kitchen counters were always clean enough that you wouldn’t have to think twice about setting food directly on the counter, and it also means that I practically have the entire meal prep cleaned up by the time i am done cooking a scramble or other simple meals.
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