Mindful Living

Mindful Living vs. Dishes: Tested & Unexpected Benefits

Life often demands multitasking, juggling the abstract goal of "mindful living" against the very concrete demands of, say, the mountain of dishes awaiting cleanup. Last month, I initiated a small experiment: dedicating specific times to mindfulness practice, famously introduced by Thich Nhat Hanh in The Miracle of Mindfulness, and observing how it contrasted with my usual haphazard dishwashing routine. I was curious if the meditative principles could offer unexpected benefits not just during formal sitting, but in the everyday chores that inevitably pile up. The initial comparison was stark – one required intentional stillness, the other felt like a necessary blur. Yet, as weeks progressed, the separation began to blur, revealing surprising parallels and advantages in both realms.