We’ve been without a dishwasher for weeks. 

It just happened. One afternoon it was making a weird sound and I mentioned it to Nicholas. We both heard it, but also both disregarded it. It was still doing its job, after all.

That night after I went to bed, Nicholas smelled it burning. Or like something in it was burning. 

He turned it off, and while we were asleep, he dissected it. 

We wouldn’t have expected any less from him.

It’s just who he is.  #mysheldon

The motor in the garbage disposal had burned up, y’all.

First of all—a dishwasher has a garbage disposal? That was news to me.

But it was a goner.

I had run that thing at least twice a day, on average, for the last 4+ years. It was a cheap one, that was even cheaper thanks to a Black Friday sale. So, we got our money out of it for sure. 

Fast forward to a couple of weekends ago, we went to Home Depot and shopped dishwashers. I never knew those things could bring so much joy. But the bells and whistles that so many of them offered got me excited. Like — we could actually fit a 14 place-setting in one of them. That would about cover one meal around here. Because, there tends to be a lot of us, ya’ know.
We left there agreeing to price-shop at Lowe’s.

We did and we have, and 3 weeks later, we still haven’t bought a dishwasher.

And I have also held out and still not bought paper plates or paper cups.

#irefuse

Not that it’s what I would choose to do in my free time, but washing dishes isn’t a horrible chore.

I remember my dishwasher crapping out when I was still single. When I was still digesting all of the crap from getting divorced. When I was still living in a daily hell.

And standing at that sink, in front of the window, washing dishes became a place of peace for me.

I was forced to pause. It made me calm my brain.

And the washing dishes part? It was almost instantaneous satisfaction of starting and finishing something well. Accomplishing something.

Something as simple as washing dishes.

And I probably had the cleanest dishes in the state. 

As anxious as I was the first week of being without a dishwasher this past month, I haven’t been in a rush to go buy one. I think it bothers JC more than me—but since he’s only washed the dishes once, it’s not bothering him that badly. ? 

It’s made me slow down during the day. 

It’s made for great conversation time with each of the kids as I’m washing, and they are drying. 

It’s made each of us more aware of how little we can function with when preparing a meal.

It’s also been a good reminder for them (for all of us) of how convenient modern-day technology is.

I laughed to myself just tonight at no wonder women never worked outside the home—by the time they finished preparing and serving and cleaning up from one meal, it was time to start on the next.

I know I feel that same way somedays with a working dishwasher.

The conveniences of today are great, don’t get me wrong. But some of the best moments we can miss being so dependent on them isn’t worth the convenience. 

And when we do get a new dishwasher? I’ll be grateful for it, yes. But will also still fill the sink with my favorite soap and make time for those extra conversations with the kids.

Because that is one thing that can never be replaced.