Taking a Step

I had this brilliant idea that I would go get myself a part-time job. I have been staying at home with my kids for a long time and I thought it would work out to go out and work for awhile.

The thing is, I am qualified to offer several services, including tutoring, coaching, and organizing/decluttering. I love to do all three of those things, but in order to do them, I have to find clients, and the whole "starting a small business" thing isn't really my forte.

So, I thought maybe retail would be the way to go. Three days in, I am not so sure. I have realized that this is pretty much an unskilled position, so I can certainly be hired to do it, but I do think maybe I am capable of more than is being asked of me here.

My goal was to get the opportunity to be in contact with more people. A natural introvert, I do love solitude, but even as an introvert, there can be too much solitude. Seems that making friends at this point in life is a bigger task than I have the resources for. Overcoming the extent of my solitude is looking like a mountain right now.

I sent one email to volunteer for a local organization, but they did not respond.

The mountain looks tall and imposing right now.

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Finishing the Job: Dishwasher vs. Sink

So, in my house, whenever we paint a room, build a deck, refinish a piece of furniture, or do any type of project, there always seems to be one last little detail that does not get completed, so no job ever truly gets done. And, once the momentum is gone for the project, that last project can go for months or years or permanently staying incomplete. As a "J" on the Meyers-Briggs personality type, I do prefer closure, yet I am just as responsible as anyone else for leaving one thing undone. 

I noticed this morning in our house that most of us prefer to put the dishes in the dishwasher. I think we feel like we are getting the dishes done that way. And when I say we, I currently would have to say excepting present company, because I have noticed that when I wash the dishes by hand, the entire kitchen gets cleaned up, whereas, putting the dishes in the dishwasher still leaves the stove in need of being wiped, counters of being de-crumbed, and the large dishes in need of being handwashed anyway. 

I wonder where else I busy myself with work-y type things and don't actually get the job done. Oh, I have one. When I use my vacuum cleaner which requires six men and a boy scout to put together and take apart. I can usually get it all put together, and even do the vacuuming, but getting it put away -- well, that often takes me a good 24 hours. 

My sink has two bowls. The right-hand one has battle scars. Recently, I switched the direction of washing/drying and I am using the left-hand, nice, shiny, white sink. My family has cooperated beautifully.

This morning, one helper loaded the plates and glasses and bowls into the dishwasher. The counters were all pretty much in need of attention, the stove was sporting some bacon grease from breakfast, and the griddle, broiler pans, and cookie sheet all needed to be hand-washed.

As much as I appreciate my helper putting those items into the dishwasher, I find great satisfaction in washing them by hand, because I know that the odds and ends will be put away, or thrown away, as the case may be. The dishwasher loader can do his or her job confidently, while still leaving the parmesan container on the counter, the griddle on the stove, the drips and spills on the counter, and the lone bread heel still waiting to be taken care of. 

"They" say that handwashing takes more water. Maybe, maybe not. My dishwasher makes a terrible sound while it runs, a sort of grinding, agonizing, pulsating noise that seems wrong. The dishwasher repairman alleges it is alright. I disagree, but I digress. My dishwasher doesn't always clean every dish/piece of cutlery completely. My dishwasher takes at least two hours to wash the dishes. Even without the terrible sound, it doesn't do the job like I do. Sure, there are times that the dishwasher is definitely the way to go, but I find dishwashing by hand to be soothing and calming and satisfying. In all of these things there is a trade-off. More water? More satisfaction? Less noise? Completion of the job? 

It all reminds me to look at the whole picture, not just one single statistic. 

This is my first post since I did the blog challenge in April. I've been away a long time. If you've read this far, thank you. I cherish my readers. I plan to write more often, and look forward to hearing from you. 

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