Happy New Year!
I have a feeling of contentment and I must give credit to my dishwasher. As in, my dishwashing machine. I don’t have like, a personal dishwasher who washes my dishes. That would be extremely weird.
My dishwasher is to thank because though yesterday’s shows were amazing, though we’re at the start of a fresh year, it’s important to stay in the moment and at this moment, my dishwasher is running. For me, the sound of a dishwasher washing dishes is heaven sent. (A washing machine or dryer does it for me, too, but I don’t have one of those in my unit.) When I was growing up, we didn’t have a dishwasher: It was all hand-washing, all the time. When I moved to Chicago, the apartments I could afford were most definitely not dishwasher-level apartments. I’ve lived in a lot of different places and maybe there was one in there at some point but really, not till I was 31 did I have a dishwasher of my very own. My love for these machines, I assure you, is real.
It’s the quiet whish and swish. It’s the click when you shut the door and the “thwonk” as the latch locks. When I was cutting fabric a little bit ago, I decided I needed more water in my water glass. I went into the kitchen to get it and ah, yes, there was the sweet hum of the dishwasher, confirming that the machine was busy with its task: sudsing up and rinsing off and washing daily dishes clean. Maybe it’s the sound of “I don’t have to do that” that makes it so sweet; maybe it’s the sound of technology that moves me. I mean, I have no idea how a dishwasher works. All I know is that icky dishes go in and pretty, shiny, dry dishes come out. It’s pixie dust in there.
The sound of a dishwasher running is the sound of calm, I suppose. Calm and reassurance. It’s like, “Dishes are being cleaned in here. Go do that other stuff you need to do. I’ve got this.” The sound of a dishwasher running is the sound of a peaceful home.
I wonder if some are laughing at me right now, waxing on about the sound of a dishwasher. But the simple things in life, if they can make us happy, this is lucky. The happily-running dishwasher does it for me, what can I say?
You all mean so much to me. I’m not good enough with words to tell you — each one of you — just how much I appreciate you. There is no PaperGirl without you. May 2017 be a year that brings extravagance and passion, art and love; may it bring wild, ecstatic compassion and connection — but may it also bring simple pleasures. If you look around, you might find they’re already with you.