Necessary Nuisances

It has been a long time (way too long) since I've posted. There have been some interesting developments in my life recently which have played a role in this; I'll share about them soon. I've missed this blog and this part of my life, and apologize to my faithful readers- I hope to be more present here going forward.

I've been reflecting recently about the mundane things I do every day. Or to be more accurate, the things I think about doing every day, and that sometimes get done. I can usually manage (barely) to do the basics (grocery shopping, cooking, washing dishes, laundry); then there are the things that bother me every day but that I will put off for weeks or even months (vacuuming, cleaning the bathroom, sweeping the kitchen floor, clearing junk off the dining room table).

I like to be clean and to have food to eat (who doesn't?), but when I'm honest with myself, these chores are pretty much at the end of my priority list. If I have a choice between reading a book and clearing the dining room table, I'll always choose the book. Going to the beach or vacuuming? Easy one. Go to bed early or deal with insurance claims? No contest! Is it laziness? Maybe. But I think it's also a question of what feeds me. I'm not totally sure about this theory, but there seem to be people (my brother-in-law is one) who are "doers". They appear to be genuinely nourished and recharged by getting things done, whether it's bills or an errand or cleaning. Of course, these may be rare types (my sister is so lucky!!), and it's likely that most people fall into a middle category where they don't like chores but manage to do them somewhat regularly. Still, I envy even those people, who seem to have a much less fraught relationship with "life maintenance activities", as I've long called them.

Funnily enough, while I was in the midst of preparing this post, I came across a very funny blog post by someone who shares these chore-relationship issues (the link is below). Please do check it out- she is quite the kindred spirit, with a bit of swearing thrown in.

Another kindred spirit is the character David, from one of my favorite books, "Just David". This young artist/dreamer has been taken in by a stoic, utterly pragmatic farm couple. Neither of them really understands the other, leading to some amusing conversations. In this scene, David is in the kitchen with Mrs. Holly, and asks her:

"Are all these things you've been doing all day 'useful labor'?"

Mrs. Holly lifted dripping hands from the dishpan and held them suspended for an amazed instant.

"Are they -- Why, of course they are! What a silly question! What put that idea into your head, child?"

"Mr. Holly; and you see it's so different from what father used to call them."

"Different?"

"Yes. He said they were a necessary nuisance, -- dishes, and getting meals, and clearing up, -- and he didn't do half as many of them as you do either."

I love that term, "necessary nuisance". It describes exactly how I feel about these tasks.

But enough of harping on what I don't like; let's talk about what I do like! While I don't seem to be much of a "doer", God seems to have made me a thinker and a be-er, and I love finding and soaking in the beauty God has created. I'm encouraged that Jesus invites us to "consider the lilies". Can that be my new job description?













Later on in the book, Mr. Holly asks David,

"I mean, did he [David's father] never set you to work -- real
work?"

"Work?" David meditated again. Then suddenly his face cleared. "Oh, yes, sir, he said I had a beautiful work to do, and that it was waiting for me out in the world. That's why we came down from the mountain, you know, to find it."

I'm still looking for my beautiful work, but I hope that it involves an abundance of lily-gazing and the bare minimum of necessary nuisances.

Links
(inspired by my Mom and this article, I've decided to start putting them at the end of the post).

-- Deeply funny blog post from a kindred spirit- "Why I'll Never Be an Adult"

-- Just David by Eleanor Porter

-- A fellow artist also following Jesus' command: "the start of a thousand lillies"

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