Dear L: Chores that don’t feel like chores
Sorry for the delay in responding, and thank you for your last letter. It always does come back to the little things, doesn’t it?
Today I’m thinking about “little work.” I just read a blog post about pitting cherries. The writer’s point was that we spend a lot of time doing “valuable” things like reading, listening to podcasting, taking in more and more information, at the expense of small, even “mindless” tasks that, contrary to popular belief, have intrinsic value. They push back against the “fast, more, now” culture we are so often caught, even when the things we want more of, faster and now, have value (like books).
I recently read a quote from Flannery O’Connor, that we must “push back against the age as hard as it pushes against you.” The problem that sometimes crops up is that many of the “ordinary tasks” that are promoted by bloggers would actually involve an extraordinary learning curve for me to participate: baking a pie, sewing, cultivating a garden. This isn’t their fault; it’s just that I’m a pregnant urbanite with a toddler and full-time job (and a penchant for mental over mechanical). I’m in a pizza-dough-buying stage of life.
But just because I’m not spending four hours pitting cherries doesn’t mean I can’t push back against convenience culture in small ways. I began to reflect on the “tiny labours” that I don’t just accomplish, but revel in; chores that don’t feel like chores, but actually give me energy. That give me the sense that I’m creating order from chaos, prioritizing good over quick, in my own small way. Here are a few of the things that came up for me:
- Only making stove-popped popcorn
- Sorting and disposing of recycling beyond what the city picks up
- Reusing single-use items, like ziplocs, as many times as humanly possible
- Purging drawers and closets
- Organizing clothes for my children
Of course, there are also “pushing back” chores I do that feel like chores, and I choose to do them anyway (cloth diapering, meal planning, home cooking). And many things I never do, because of lack of interest, skill, or time (home-growing vegetables, quilting, etc) But for my personality, tendencies, and skills, the list above are more like hobbies than chores, even though I would never Instagram a single one. No joke, I actually look forward to organizing baby clothes.
What are your chores that don’t feel like chores? How do you push back against the age, even in small ways? (You’re welcome for the awesome opportunity to humble brag.)
Love,
Lauren
