Housework as Meditation
I’ve been thinking this morning about Maryanne‘s Amish quotes, especially the one I’m “sitting with” today…
A task takes as long as it takes.
I have a concussion, and it is hard for me to focus or do much of anything. My house is messy and I have a splitting headache. I decided, in the Amish proverb spirit, to do just one task, and take as many breaks as necessary. I chose laundry. Laundry is good because for long stretches, the machine does all the heavy lifting 
As I slowly checked pockets and tried to remember which settings to have the buttons on, I was totally focused on that. It almost felt like a Silent Saturday; I could hear Joey snoring, the fan in the living room, the cats scratching in the litter box. Even my headache abated and I felt at peace.
I’m grateful for that experience today.
An injury is one of those things that can bring us back to basics. And basic principles like, “A task takes as long as it takes”. Your experience with concentrating on one task at a time, while remaining aware of other things going on in your environment, was a good reminder that sometimes we get too distracted in our modern world.