CATEGORY
Writing Exercise
DESCRIPTION
Write a playful speech or essay to gain a new perspective on your daily chores.
INSTRUCTIONS
Do you hate taking out the garbage? Do you do anything to avoid ironing? Do you dread cleaning the bathroom? Mowing the lawn? Plan a silly speech about one of your annoying chores. What witty and profound things might be said about "The Joy of Ironing" or "The Trash on Trash." See if you can come up with some things that are true. You might be surprised to find that you actually enjoy some of the things on your chore list.
JOY'S JOURNEY
I spent a large part of my childhood doing chores. We could have easily afforded to pay for more help around the house, but it was my mother's way of controlling us. If we were raking leaves, vacuuming carpets or cleaning bathrooms, she knew our exact whereabouts. So, I spent much of my childhood down on my hands and knees, looking up against the light to make sure I'd gotten all the finger prints off the cabinets and dresser drawers.
Hard physical work can be a good remedy for stress, and so can a "job well done". So even though a part of me regrets all the time I spent sorting, washing, dusting and ironing, I can now see some of the blessings in it. Now when I wash dishes, I close my eyes for a second and remember the fun times I had taking baths with my sister when we were little. When I iron, I pretend that each wrinkle is a problem I've figured out, or a worry I've erased. When I shovel snow, I often do it the same way my sister Irene and I shoveled the lake for ice skating -- making twisty curvy paths to skate along, before we went back to shovel off the rest.
It took me a long time to see some of the heartaches of my childhood as gifts in disguise. Use this activity to clear out your old thinking patterns, and sweep out those spiritual dust bunnies. If you still hate your chores after doing this activity a few times, start collecting your spare change (POCKET FULL OF SUNSHINE).
QUOTES
Our nettlesome task is to discover how to organize
our strength into compelling power.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Set me a task in which I can put something of my very self,
and it is a task no longer; it is joy; it is an art.
Bliss Carman
I long to accomplish a great and noble task,
but it is my chief duty
to accomplish small tasks as if they were great and noble.
Helen Keller
I hate housework! You make the beds, you do the dishes --
and six months later you have to start all over again.
Joan Rivers
Dr. Joy is available to present playful workshops (playshops) at your corporate training retreat, non profit organization gathering, or club membership meetings. She is located in Denver, Colorado, and travels throughout the US to deliver Serious Fun ™ Programs for personal growth, wellness, and inspiration. Please see the program pages for details and contact information.
This playful meditation activity is COPYRIGHTED. If you are a professional trainer, coach, human resources person, counselor, or therapist it is not ethical nor legal for you to use it or share it with your clients or those you supervise/train as part of your job. See the copyright notice on the front page of this e-book. Remember, character is what you do when no one is looking. Please take the high road, and pay me appropriately to use these materials professionally, even if you work for a church, school, non-profit or the government.
© Copyright 1999-2008 by Joy Koenig. All Rights Reserved.
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