Once or twice a day, I find myself looking into the depths of the dishwasher wondering, “Is it full enough to run?” This calculation is actually pertinent because over the years with small children who help clear their plates, we are down to a single-digit number of forks. Although I haven’t run the dishwasher just to have enough forks for the next meal, I can’t say I haven’t contemplated it!
For years, I waited and waited to run the dishwasher until every last corner was filled with a dirty dish or teething toy. I waited because I didn’t want to run the dishwasher only to discover a dirty cup or spoon that could have been clean had I just waited just a little while longer. Four kids later, I know there will always be another load to run in the dishwasher. I’ve also found out that if you overstuff your dishwasher it doesn’t clean as effectively or run as efficiently.
That’s actually true for us, too. So many times we stuff our days full, every minute filled only to discover at the end of the day that running from one activity or commitment to another wasn’t at all fulfilling. There will always be another load of dishes to wash, but there won’t always be more days to live fully. What if we decided to run on fewer activities and more treasuring time with each other?