An experience shared by Lisa – A Pause Crew Member

One of the household chores I dread doing is
EMPTYING THE DISHWASHER.
I am super grateful to have a dishwasher but for some reason,
I have a block when it comes to
unloading and putting away the clean dishes. 

In my head, I have built this very simple, easy chore into something
more in line with climbing Mt. Everest!
I do not have time in my day to climb a mountain!

I was tired of feeling this weight every time the dishwasher
completed its cycle, so I paused and asked:

“Is there another way to see this?”
Answer from my Inner Wisdom ~ Yes, do the dishes by hand. Wash, Rinse, Dry, and Put away…[Well, okay. I am not going to do that ~ I detest hand washing dishes more than unloading the dishwasher…lol.]

so I paused again and asked:
“What would be truly helpful now?”

Answer from my Inner Wisdom ~ Set a timer and unload the
dishwasher to see just exactly how long it really takes.
Aha! Something I was willing to do! Following inspiration,
I set my timer and began unloading the dishwasher –
I did not go super-fast or slow,
just unloaded the dishwasher at a normal pace.

It only took me FIFTEEN MINUTES to completely unload the dishwasher.
It did not take the three hours that I had built it up in my head to take. 
Now, every time the dishwasher needs to be unloaded, I just do it.
It is only fifteen minutes after all!

By utilizing The Pause Practice with this simple chore, I was able
to not only ease my mind and remove unnecessary stress from my
day, but I also came into the awareness of just
how easy and Practical The Pause Practice can be!

What a wonderful re-Minder!

We all have opportunities to apply the Practical Pause Practice: 

someone or something that is
bothering us

something we keep putting off
for another day

someone we are having difficulty
communicating with

a project we are having trouble beginning

any activity or situation we
are anxious about

something that we feel
takes “forever” to do

Simply ask these two questions:

“Is there another way to see this?”

and

“What would be truly helpful now?”.

Pause. Ask. Listen. Follow.
It really is as easy as that!

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