Today the morning was pleasant but as sun grew up weather felt hot. Despite it’s raining here and there little bit our October is warm ☹️
After morning chores in the kitchen and reciting for an hour hubby and me took our morning tea. Then hubby left for groceries and I went to kitchen. I had to make dough prepared for lunch time so I picked up the big pan ,pour the wheat flour in it without straining ( I don’t use strainer to keep the fiber saved .I started to make dough , and then I left it in the middle undone( I learned accidentally long ago that this way dough is made more soft and flexible),covered the dough pan and turned towards the sink where freshly spoiled cups and tea pot were waiting to be washed. I started to wash them and suddenly I felt a smile inside my heart. I realised that I was never perfectionist in this business of dish washing ☺️ Actually while washing my aunt ( mom’s sister)and one of my sisters in law (hubby’s brother’s wife ) came into my mind . Both were considered best in keeping the dishes not just neat but very shiny . My aunt was kind of mad about keeping dishes untouched once they were washed by her . I would visit her once or twice a day when I was little till my mid teens ( she died before I was sixteen in childbirth) . I would see how she would rub her dishes intensely and will hide them away so no one can use them. She would do so when kids are around whether her own or visitors. Once they would leave she would take out and place them on their proper place. If any kid would come and try to grab the bowl to have water aunt would shout and run to stop. That would make me laugh always. Basically I wouldn’t understand why she was so obsessed with keeping dishes cleaned. And secondly I hadn’t seen my mom or other aunts doing so.
After my marriage I observed same thing in one of my sisters in law . She seemed more concerned about dishes actually. She would rub them so hard that her cooking pots and dishes would get shrunk and holes soon. When she would visit me and ask me to rub dishes harder I would reply that I don’t think it’s necessary because I have cleaned them as much they were needed to be cleaned. I could feel she would not look happy about it.
She surly thought how non perfectionist I was 😬
So when it comes to dish washing I wash them until I find they are cleaned totally and that’s it . I don’t want to waste my energy and time on something which is not important to me.
I don’t feel guilty for it but I wonder what you my wise friends think or say about it. Have you noticed someone with such extreme habit to do something?
Thank you for bearing with me in my simple world precious people 🥰🙏
God Bless You All !🙏♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️💕🥰
I clean things just enough, no need to get too fussy, there are other things to attend to that are more fun! My sister used to keep her kitchen as clean as an operating room. You daren't touch anything!
ReplyDeleteDear Boud ,thank you so much for your beautiful comment 🥰
DeleteYour sister’ cleanliness reminded me a quote famous in our part of country. If one would see too much cleanliness in someone’s house she use this quote “ her house was as neat as one can spit on and then lick it back “ 😂 I know sounds horrible but it’s true.
I share your balanced way for keeping things clean 🤗
Some people are quite irrational about keeping things clean , not just dishes.
ReplyDeleteI agree dear Red 🥰
DeleteSome people put extra effort in their certain things,I wonder what chemicals in human brain are responsible for such behaviour. Because same people feel quite careless about more important things such as focusing more on the upbringing of their children. It kind of saddens me 😔
Good enough is what I say.
ReplyDeleteI am not exeption 😅
DeleteI agree -- don't waste your time and life on "over cleaning" dishes!
ReplyDeleteExactly my words dear Debra 🥰
DeleteWelcome back precious friend ♥️🤗
So much time and energy being spent on cleaning and shining takes time away from living and enjoying life. I have been in homes where I felt like just by being there I was making it dirty. I could not be comfortable. It is preferable to have a comfortable home that feels lived in. It should be neat but not at the expense of tranquility.
ReplyDeleteThanks dear Emma for sharing your experience. Your words remind me time when I went to the house of my could be boss in Islamabad . The couple lived in expensive block ,lady was Korean and man was American. They had no children.They wanted someone who can look after their home when both are on work. When I walked in their home I was stunned by the abundance of decoration pieces everywhere. This seemed very strange and unusual. My first fear was what if something is broken or cracked by me ?
DeleteBut I didn’t refuse to accept the job immediately but said I will inform later. But I never returned there . The couple seemed to have great taste for really pricey decorations and I got scared ☹️
Oh agree. As long as they are clean why do they have to be shinny. LOL Have a nice weekend
ReplyDeleteMy words in your mouth dear Nichole. Why dishes have to be shiny at the first place. I mean it’s my personal opinion
DeleteNot with dishes so much, but I do wash my hands a lot, especially if I am cooking meat and even though I wear gloves. I take them off and wash my hands. 😂 That may be wise because meat can have germs, but I may be over cautious, kind of like your Aunt with the dishes. I wonder if she missed a spot once and someone noticed and then after that she was always careful.
ReplyDeleteCorrect me if I am wrong dear friend Sandi, you wear gloves because some doctor recommended that to you or you wear because you feel your hands will be germs free ?
DeleteYour comment reminds me when my eldest son started to crawl and I was always after him if he picks something and put it in his mouth. That fear would keep me on toes because living in one house and in joint family system makes it impossible to keep things tidy everywhere. Then my dear mom visited me and saw this situation. She said one day that did you ever walked by raw clay huts beside the city . Did you notice little children playing in mud or dirty ground look more healthy than children very well cared by their mothers ?
I was surprised to hear this because I have never observed closely. Next time I saw and felt mom was so right. It’s mostly up to nature and circumstance instead of our care . But we like give credit ourselves for good things.
Haha you got my dear aunt yes she liked to make others notice that she had most neat house in the whole village. She had cow and buffalo in her house but people would hardly can say she had any because she would keep the place so tidy 👍🤗
I don't know anyone who really scrubs the dishes. In fact most people here put them in the dishwasher these days. Personally I still wash dishes by hand but I'm not perfectionist about it. I do have a dishwasher but never use it. I find it takes too long!
ReplyDeleteThank you dear Joyful for kind words 🥰
DeleteHow amazing you have dishwasher but you still wash dishes with hands . My eldest son offers often to bring one but I say we are just few people and secondly it’s life long habit lol
Eldest son explains on my curiosity that how dishwasher works and it sounds cool but effort involved is not that less
I am like you, I clean but am not obsessed about it.
ReplyDeleteI call it a balanced way dear Terra 🥰👍
DeleteSome people do like to scrub their pots and pans till they can see their face in them. Me, I'm just normal, the dishwasher does most of the work and what doesn't go in the dishwasher my husband washes, I do do it sometimes. This has only happened for the past 10 years as he likes to help and tells me to go out of the kitchen :) Very nice of him.
ReplyDeleteOh dear Margaret your husband is really nice and kind 👍
ReplyDeleteHow great he takes care of the dishes when you do other things or rest 🤗
Being normal sounds great to me honestly but in case you are live amongst people who have different or extreme attitude things can be little different for you at slightest level
Although I love to clean and organize, I am not a fanatic about things...but perhaps some people who know me may disagree! LOL! Seriously, if it is clean, it is clean! I think perfectionists focus way too much on things that really don't matter. (spelling, etc.), but in the broad spectrum of things, of course, especially after Covid-19 and such health pandemics, it is important to be clean. But we need to be able to be kind to one another and to ourselves, and we need to enjoy life and not be so scared that we forget the most important things. Sending you warm hugs and much love, dear Baili. :)
ReplyDeleteDear Linda heartfelt thanks for lovely comment🥰
ReplyDeleteI fully appreciate your honesty in this comment my friend 👍
I agree that there are so many more important things to do and enjoy in life. To be honest I often feel our thoughts are deep holes lying widely under our feet (mind) and we are supposed to be very careful to avoid falling in any of the hole so deeply,not as much that exiting from it can be an issue later. In my personal opinion such extremes are reflection of our falling to certain holes . Sadly such captivity stops us from seeing everything in neutral way to form an honest opinion.
Lots of love,heartfelt best wishes to you and yours ♥️🙏
There are those who do almost over-clean.
ReplyDeleteI just make sure it's clean put away tidily and get on with my next job, or perhaps something I'd prefer to do!
All the best Jan
You are like me dear Jan ☺️
DeleteIt is one of my guilty secrets that I quite like to clean, but I don't go crazy cleaning :-)
ReplyDeleteAmalia
xo
Not going crazy is the thing dear Amalia 🥰
DeleteConcordo consigo. Bom é suficiente. Nada de exageros.
ReplyDeleteGostei da sua crónica.
Uma boa semana.
Um beijo.
So true dear Grace 👍
DeleteHello Baili,
ReplyDeleteI like things to be clean and neat, but I am not a fanatic or over do anything.
Take care, have a great day and a happy week ahead.
Keeping balance is best quality dear Eileen 🤗
DeleteEvery time I do household chores, a sign that my friend has in her home comes to mind. Here is what it said: “Housework can make you ugly.” So, it is a good plan to do enough to make your home look nice, but not overdue😏
ReplyDeleteDear Dorothy,I can’t feel agree to your neighbour here instead I believe if we fulfill our responsibilities with dedication and honesty this won’t make us ugly because the beauty of goodness will shine in our beings and lives.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree on that we should avoid being extremism in any level of life though 🤗
Great post Baili, and it prompted lots of interesting comments. I don't obsess over clean dishes, although I'm guilty of washing mine by hand and then sticking them in the dishwasher. (I hate drying dishes!) 😂 I like a tidy home, but I also like a home where people can feel comfortable and relax. I'd rather curl up with Terry and watch tv or read than spend all my time on maintaining a spit-shined, polished house. I think if we're too clean, we get sick more because we haven't built up immunity to common germs. Here's to enjoying the important things in life!
ReplyDeleteYour story about your aunt and then your sister-in-law is so vivid. Your aunt hiding the dishes away so they remained "untouched" is such an extreme and memorable detail. That level of obsession over "shiny" dishes, to the point of wearing down pots or yelling at children, is fascinating but sounds exhausting to live with. It absolutely crosses the line from neatness into a controlling habit.
ReplyDeleteYou've got the right approach: you wash them until they are "cleaned totally and that’s it." Not feeling guilty for saving your energy and time for things that matter more is a victory. Honestly, the world needs more non-perfectionists like you. Life is too short to worry about the shine on a tea cup.
Thank you for sharing this lovely moment from your "simple world."
This reminds me of ironing. I don't iron things that don't need it. Other people I know iron everything even if they have no creases after washing!
ReplyDelete