There is a popular zen saying, "Chop wood, Carry water." I think of it as encouragement to show up fully in my life, to lean into what the mundane has to teach me about being present to my life. Washing dishes is not a chore or lost time, but opportunity. Opportunity to connect with all who have come before me and done just this. Wash dishes. Opportunity to connect with my body. To feel my soles on the kitchen tile, feel my hands in the warm water, see the iridescence of the bubbles. Opportunity to feel. Feel my place among all the things. Where will the spoon be in a thousand years, how do I connect to the silica that made the glass? Opportunity to nourish gratitude and compassion. To express gratitude for food to nourish my body, express gratitude for sharing community. To have connection over a meal. Opportunity to be fully present in gratitude.
6 x 6 in. original oil on canvas paper