My sink is piled high with dirty dishes. Laundry baskets decorate my bedroom. Yet, I am thankful for the dirty dishes.
Not the typical “What are you thankful for this holiday season?”
Yes, I am thankful for my family, friends, and having food and a roof over my head, but I am also especially thankful for those dirty dishes.
Why dirty dishes? Because having the sink full of dirty dishes means that I spent time with my daughter today playing, laughing and connecting instead of feeling like I had to get the dishes done.
As I read stories to my daughter and changed my voice to sound like the big bad wolf and the three scared pigs, I listened to her giggle and saw her light up as I “huffed and puffed” and blew her hair away from her face. I also noticed the two-day-old Cheerio crumbs that the vacuum missed, but I ignored them and focused on her giggles.
As I watched her pick up leaves and pine cones during our morning walk, I watched her curiosity grow and saw her wheels turning as she witnessed the leaves falling from a tree onto the ground. I did my best to turn off the growing to-do list in my head that was reminding me about the laundry that needed folded, the dishes that needed washed and the house that needed dusted.
As I sat on the floor and helped her stack blocks and then watched her knock them over with just as much delight, I noticed the dust collecting under the tv and the stack of mail that hadn’t been gone through yet.
I noticed all of these things, including the dirty dishes, but I am thankful for them because it means that I took time to play and laugh and connect with my daughter instead of worrying about the things that will eventually get done, but just not at this moment, and that’s okay. Let’s be honest, those dirty dishes might not get done tomorrow either, but I am okay, and even thankful, for that because I got to spend precious moments with my family today.
Be thankful this year for your family, your friends, your health, and your home, but also be thankful for the time you get to spend with them even if it means you are also thankful for the piles of laundry and the dust bunnies.
