on running the dishwasher
I think the luckiest thing that one could say about their life is that they have many boring days. I'm probably in a higher percentile of those days, and I consider myself lucky in that regard.
Boredom is great. You can do whatever you want when you have nothing to do, but you truly have to be really bored to really embrace the beauty of it. My favorite thing to do when I have the beauty of free time is probably to run the dishwasher.
There's a simple beauty in running the dishwasher. For one, it's a multi-hour process that's set and forget. You progressively load it throughout the day (in my house, usually once every two days), and then when there's a decent block of time, you can kick that sucker. In the winter, in a well-insulated house, heat drying can add a free degree or two to your indoor temperature, saving your heating system from the extra labor. Contrary to popular belief, you can dishwash almost anything. Your silicone potholders, your toothbrush holder, the microwave turntable, your oven knobs and grates, your dish rack itself. Throw them in there. It's a miracle of modern society that many American homes have a dishwasher and I will never complain about it.
In difficult times we look for what we can control first and foremost – the day-to-day of our lives, our consistent routines, ideally filling the time with friends and loved ones. Routine is boredom, and boredom is pleasant. The dishwasher is pleasant. It's predictable. It's loud – the pump winding up, the basin filling. I don't trust a quiet dishwasher. I can kick it off, run some errands, and by the time I'm home, a small chore awaits me.
The "may you live in interesting times" proverb that a lot of people cite really isn't a Chinese proverb (or "curse") at all, it's an English expression. Wikipedia at least thinks the closest Chinese proverb is "Better to be a dog in times of tranquility than a human in times of chaos". Unfortunately for the English language, that's just a windmill dunk on the "interesting times" proverb.
But in those interesting times, or those times of chaos, there are some days you can take action and be constructive.
But some days you can't do anything. Some days you can only run the dishwasher.
