The Universe's sense of humor 🎃

I don't want to say that life tests us, because there’s a negative connotation to that word, as if you could pass or fail. Get a good or bad grade.

I call them invitations to discover where we are, what has been integrated, how we position ourselves, etc.

And yes, the Universe has a fun sense of humor:
Two days after posting "Run the dishwasher twice," I ran mine...

🎉 And surprise...
When I opened it at the end of the cycle, the detergent tab was stuck in the compartment, so the dishwasher had only run with hot water, no soap. And yes, hot water does clean quite well, but it still leaves something to be desired.

🤦‍♀️ What came to my mind?
"I don't have the energy to wash everything again by hand, but I shouldn't run a whole cycle again..."

Oh!
I caught myself with that thought and replied to myself, "Well, yes, actually!!" 😎

A little wink from life to show me that, despite being vigilant about the unwanted "shoulds" within me, many of them are deeply rooted! And sneaky...

A bit like "in one ear and out the other"!

So, let's do it again 😉

I’m sharing Kate Scott's text again because I think it’s worth rereading to drive the point home:

➡ There are no rules, except the ones we impose on ourselves.
➡ And to the inner tyrant, we say: that’s enough!!

🤍

When I was at one of my lowest (mental) points in life, I couldn’t get out of bed some days. I had no energy or motivation and was barely getting by.

I had therapy once per week, and on this particular week I didn’t have much to ‘bring’ to the session. He asked how my week was and I really had nothing to say.

“What are you struggling with?” he asked. I gestured around me and said “I dunno man. Life.”

Not satisfied with my answer, he said “No, what exactly are you worried about right now? What feels overwhelming? When you go home after this session, what issue will be staring at you?”

I knew the answer, but it was so ridiculous that I didn’t want to say it. I wanted to have something more substantial. Something more profound. But I didn’t.

So I told him, “Honestly? The dishes. It’s stupid, I know, but the more I look at them the more I CAN’T do them because I’ll have to scrub them before I put them in the dishwasher, because the dishwasher sucks, and I just can’t stand and scrub the dishes.”

I felt like an idiot even saying it. What kind of grown woman is undone by a stack of dishes? There are people out there with actual problems, and I’m whining to my therapist about dishes?

But my therapist nodded in understanding and then said: “RUN THE DISHWASHER TWICE.”

I began to tell him that you’re not supposed to, but he stopped me.

“Why the hell aren’t you supposed to? If you don’t want to scrub the dishes and your dishwasher sucks, run it twice. Run it three times, who cares? Rules do not exist, so stop giving yourself rules.”

It blew my mind in a way that I don’t think I can properly express.

That day, I went home and tossed my smelly dishes haphazardly into the dishwasher and ran it three times. I felt like I had conquered a dragon. The next day, I took a shower lying down. A few days later. I folded my laundry and put them wherever they fit. There were no longer arbitrary rules I had to follow, and it gave me the freedom to make accomplishments again.

Now that I’m in a healthier place, I rinse off my dishes and put them in the dishwasher properly. I shower standing up. I sort my laundry. But at a time when living was a struggle instead of a blessing, I learned an incredibly important lesson:

THERE ARE NO RULES. RUN THE DISHWASHER TWICE!

- Kate Scott