Stating The Glaringly Obvious
What is “wrong” with this picture? Could it be?! Yes it is! I’m using a plastic fork and a paper plate! GASP! Before there is a mass exodus and revolt (slightly dramatic), I wanted to fill you in on why I use them.
When The Plastic Meets The Road
A few years ago when I was at the height of not being able to function well, I was given some wise advice from a wonderful sage in my life. I was talking to her and carrying on how I could hardly function in a day, let alone take care of my daughter (who was not yet in school), take care of the house, cook all of my meals from scratch and all of the dishes that went along with it. My husband was traveling a lot for work and I didn’t have family support. I was it. I was worked up trying to figure out how to make my life work, without killing myself in the process. She casually suggested that I use paper plates and plastic forks to cut down on the amount of dishes I would need to do in a day. What you talkin’ bout Willis? That was the response in my head anyway. I. WAS. HORRIFIED!
The Dilemma
I love the environment! The Reduce – Reuse – Recycle campaign they teach you in elementary school stuck! I was a Earth loving, reusable bag toting, recycling kind of gal and to use paper plates and plastic forks would be a crime! Kindly, she began to explain that in certain seasons of life you need to let yourself off the hook in some areas. To give myself permission to be where I’m at and find ways to give myself a break. Giving myself a break from dishes was an area I could ease up on the reigns. As much as I wanted to fight against it, after evaluating my life and circumstances, this was an area I had control over, could do something about and ease my burdens.
The Long And The Short Of It
Years later, I can say that was some brilliant advice I was given, not only in that particular area but in others as well. I was holding myself to an impossible standard and really doing damage to my body, mind and emotions in that season. I chose to ask myself, “Will my child remember these days with her mom hovered over the sink, super stressed out trying to maintain the unmaintainable? Or can I cut off this embraced martyrdom that I did not have to bear?” I’m glad that I chose the latter.
The Best News
Seasons don’t last forever. BONUS: Now that my daughter is 8, guess who does a lot of the dishes? BOOM! Mom victory! Now of course she takes about an hour to do them and after modeling the strainer on her head, using a wooden spoon as a microphone, using the grease screen as an “astronauts helmet” and after the glasses were lined up on the counter and “magical glass music” was played, the dishes were finally done! The other piece of good news is that there are recycled plates not made out of paper that are really low cost as well as biodegradable cutlery to settle the down the Arnold in me (still with me on the Diff’rent Strokes references, right?)
My mantra for crazy, chaotic, overwhelming seasons is this, “Ain’t no one got time or energy for dishes!”
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What have you let go of in order to maintain your sanity?
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