They're silently waiting for me

Anyone who follows this blog knows that I struggle with washing the dishes. It is a battle that is fought and lost on two fronts: emotional and physical.

The emotional part is owing to the fact that I don't have a dishwasher and the dishes multiply like rabbits and are a continual eye sore on the side of the sink. 

In spite of cleaning them up and being rewarded by not only an empty sink and benches and of course, clean dishes- I find the complete futility of feeling done with them is disheartening.

A terrible procrastinator, I promise myself that I will keep up with them, but illness laughs as it assails me with yet another flare, and they remain on the bench mocking me for being  defeated yet again.

So here comes the other side of this domestic dilemma: being completely out of spoons and suffering from broken knees and collapsing spine. I simply cannot stand.

And of course that horridly wicked ruler, Fibromyalgia ensures that I am in an almost constant flare, and it is the cherry on the top of my cocktail of pain. So not only is my physical health attacked, but also my mental health. It's depressing.

I know I could ask Chris for help, but he has heart failure and battles his own health issues. It has always been me who washes the dishes, and then he will usually come and dry them and put them away. I am grateful.

Until I can gather some spoons I will sit and wait for my Tramadol to work. I plan to clear the dishes up, cook some steak and vegetables for dinner tonight and rest. That's the plan. Meanwhile, they're silently waiting for me.

I can't keep doing this to myself!

When I have a bad flare of fibromyalgia and/or polymyalgia rheumatica, I feel so sore and tired that I often let the dishes build up.

We all know that when you put one cup or bowl in the sink, they suddenly start multiplying and pretty soon you have a stack to tackle in washing up.

With Chris quite ill at the moment, I am loathe to ask him to help me so this problem is absolutely on my shoulders alone.

Last week the lady who comes to clean our house once a fortnight, washed and put away my dishes and it was so nice to see an empty sink and find a clean cup without a search party and ensuing  mammoth cleaning marathon.

I was so impressed that I have kept it up, washing up as we use the crockery. In fact, the first day after she helped me, we got up and thought we were in the wrong house! There was a clean sink and kitchen.

It's taken me 52 years of being a home maker to finally realise that by procrastination- I mean of the long duration type, not once in a blue moon- is a killer not only of productivity but peace.

It's been a week now since I have turned over a new leaf and I have found that it is less draining on my energy levels and is achievable.

I know it's only been a week, but for a chronically ill old chook with longstanding procrastination habits, it's a long time.

It probably sounds pathetic to all the "normals" who say, "Well it's only washing the dishes!", but to a spoon challenged tired sick sufferer of continual pain, it's a big deal!

Another plus is that with the kitchen clean, my spirits have been uplifted and I am far more likely to grab the pile of clean washing and fold it. It sort of has a domino effect! 

Whatever, I feel better for the discipline and look forward to waking up to a clean kitchen now. Besides, with the realisation that housework is spiritual, I find I function best in a tidy house and will make every effort to keep it up and not have a mammoth dishwashing session. I can't keep doing this to myself! 

 

Chronic illness: it is what it is!

So the day has started off without any appreciable spoons. However, I have purposed to do some chores in the house regardless. Simply because they have to be done.

With the last two days slack on housework, there are dishes and washing and some other chores that are shouting to be done.

My sugars are still 10.4 this morning in spite of taking the new diabetes medications for a week. So I accept that I am never going to feel really well. Fibromyalgia and angina coupled with back pain also seem to do that. So I am going to just concentrate today on the most crucial homemaking tasks: having clean dishes and cups and some clean clothes and towels.. No lists today, this is all I can manage.

So today's list of to do's are:

1. Soak and wash dishes and put away after air drying
2. Catch up on the washing and put it away after the dryer has finished
3. Cook some lamb stew in the slow cooker for dinner

Granted it's not much to do, but my body feels like it's trying to climb Mt Everest. But enough procrastination: I must push on. No fairy godmother is coming- I'm it!  

It's mundane. It's frustrating. It's tiring! But it is what it is!  It's chronic illness!