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| Ironed and Folded Napkins |
Today, I called the office in the morning and spoke with my supervisor to give her a quick status update of my work projects. I am almost at the end of my current assignment and I let her know so she'd know to assign me another project. She emailed me in the afternoon to inform me of my next project, but she won't have the work files to send to me until sometime next week. I also requested two days off next week - the Thursday and Friday before the almsgiving.
I did one more almsgiving preparation task today. I re-ironed and folded the napkins I had bleached and washed, yesterday (I had ironed them once, yesterday, when they were still damp and hung them up overnight to fully dry). There are five with the red and red stripes, two with the blue stripes, and eight with the green stripes. They have been put away in the linen cupboard until needed. I guess I could have just folded them without re-ironing them, but I like them to look crisp and nice when I go to use them.
I am not trying for perfection, and very often I am quite happy to settle for good enough, but sometimes, I do like to make the extra effort, for my own satisfaction. The satisfaction of knowing I gave it my best. It really is the thought that counts, especially when it comes to the almsgiving. The abbot at the temple explained it this way: Every time one thinks of the almsgiving and preparations for it, the mind is focused on something that is intended to be positive, benevolent, and not harmful; there is no room for other, more negative thoughts, such as anger, hatred, etc., when one is concentrating on doing something positive. The thoughts about the almsgiving preparations are beneficial thoughts and, as such, each is a meritorious deed, or "karma", which literally means "deed" or "act" in Sanskrit.
Anyway, that's my explanation of why I do what I do. In case anyone is wondering what's wrong with me that I go to such extents to prepare for this event and why I carry on so much about it! *smile*
Today, I also tidied the family room, cleaned both bathrooms, and cleaned the kitchen. I was only going to wash the dishes and wipe down the counters, but then, I noticed some drips and splatters down the fronts of some of the lower kitchen cabinets, so I washed all the lower cabinet fronts, too, and shined the sink, of course.
Tuesday's To Do List:
- Office work/time sheets - DONE
- Fold/put away laundry - DONE
- Clean bathrooms - DONE
- Bring in trash cans - DONE
-Water the houseplants - DONE
- Do dishes - DONE
- Clean kitchen - DONE
- Tidy family room - DONE (Moved up from Wednesday)
- Decorate for Thanksgiving - (Moved to Wednesday)
Wednesday's To Do List:
- Office work
- Tidy/dust/vacuum bedrooms
- Change bedding
- Launder sheets
- Decorate for Thanksgiving
- Buy sympathy cards and birthday card
- Grocery shop to buy half and half for daughter, cat food, maybe bread.
- Pick up daughter from airport
Today, I am grateful for:
- My colleagues and supervisor at the office and how accommodating they are
- Being able to work from home during this time
- A sunny and warm day
- A productive day
- Video chatting with my daughter
How was your Tuesday? What are your plans for Wednesday?
My sister and I were just discussing how some people find ironing very relaxing. Sounds like you plans are preceding on schedule. Good luck with the rest of them.
ReplyDeleteI don't iron my clothes, etc., on a regular basis, but I do like ironing. I turn on the TV and mostly listen to it while I iron.
DeleteI am making good progress on my schedule! I just need to get the bedrooms done to finish my cleaning for this week. Then I take a break to enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday.
Hope you have a lovely Thanksgiving with your family and loved ones.
You have been a busy lady.. and really accomplished a lot.. Love the napkins, and ironing and starching them... made them so pretty..
ReplyDeleteBusy here too.. The preparations are almost done, I am up early this am [WEDNESDAY]. I want to mop the kitchen and living room . Some tiding up..Clean the bathroom. My son/family will come in this afternoon.
Hope you and family have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
Thank you, Judy. Sounds like you are definitely busy getting ready to celebrate Thanksgiving with your family. I hope you and your family will have a blessed Thanksgiving, Judy.
DeleteI think that linen napkins are such a wonderful luxury that it's worth taking the effort. I think of them as a luxury because of the time and effort, but awesoem.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I think it's like an almsgiving not just of food but of care and effort.
I am now considering getting proper napkins. x
Yes, it is a giving of care and effort, as well as alms. And it can extend to any other event, as well.
DeleteMaybe you can give yourself the gift of a set of napkins for Christmas, this year. Or sew some?
Quite agree. When I was on my pilgrimage, from time to time I was given alms by people I met. Usually the alms were in the form of drink, a snack or shelter. Occasionally money. But sometimes people took time to chat with me, even walking alongside for a few metres, and it occurred to me then that this, too, was almsgiving. Often there were extended periods of time when I had not seen or spoken to anybody, so the gift of time and human connection - care and effort - meant a lot.
DeleteAnd the napkins are lovely. Hand woven? They deserve to be looked after as you do!
Yes, the gift of time and companionship.
DeleteYes, the napkins are hand woven. A blind man was selling them (in lieu of begging) in Sri Lanka and my step-father, on a visit back home, bought them. I think he bought the whole inventory the man had, because that was in the early 80s and I still have about 20 napkins!
Quite a to-do list! You certainly will be kept busy. I love seeing your 'thankful for' list. It's always great to keep in mind what we're thankful for.
ReplyDeleteMy "to do" lists do tend to get rather lengthy and detailed, don't they? Seems like there's always much that needs doing.
DeleteThank you; I like to count my blessings. :) I can come up with a list of complaints without any problem, of course, but that just makes me feel sad and sorry for myself. So, I prefer to focus on the good things.
I hope you have a lovely day. Will you be celebrating Thanksgiving, tomorrow?
I love your napkins. There is something satisfying about a nicely ironed pile of linen. X
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jules. They are about 33 years old, now, and still going strong! My stepfather bought them from a blind man who was going door to door, selling them. I think he bought out the man's entire stock, that day. I like to think that, by using them for the almsgiving, I am transferring a little of the merit to both of them. :)
DeleteI like the Abbot's explanation of the positive effects of focusing on something worthwhile like the almsgiving. I think when we are preparing for a visit from loved family or friends we are in a good way of thinking. What he said also reminded me that some people knit prayer shawls for the sick and pray while they are knitting.
ReplyDeleteBushlady
Yes, any activity that focuses on the positive. This same abbot also told me that working on a jigsaw puzzle is also a form of meditation, because, once again, one is focusing the mind on a single, harmless purpose. Generally, the thoughts going through your mind at such a time is finding the next piece, not on what someone else might have said or done to hurt you and what you can do to get back at them, etc.
DeleteOh, I feel so much better about the amount of time I spent on that 1000 piece puzzle recently! It did occur to me that it was a good brain activity as it involved looking carefully at shapes and colours, but I hadn't thought that it might be like meditation too.
DeleteBushlady
Glad it makes you feel better about the time spent on your puzzle, Bushlady. :) Puzzles are supposed to be good brain exercises, too, I believe.
Delete