LIKE TO WASH the dishes. Sure, it
can be a grind. And I’m more than
happy to let things pile up in the sink
for a day or three. But after a Friday night
family dinner, I find nothing as satisfying
as taking my time to rinse plates, then
stacking the dishwasher just so. I wipe
the stove and counters until nary a crumb
can be found. When I shut off the light (I
will have also scrubbed the switch plate),
I get a glimmer of delight knowing that
when I flick it back on the next morning,
I’ll start my day in a clean, orderly space.
Perhaps my job at Real Simple has awak-
ened my compulsive neatness, a side of
myself I forced to lie dormant when my
daughters were small. It also occurs to me
that washing the dinner dishes was my
first childhood chore. My mother taught
my sister, Sara, and me how to set and
clear the table—a task we did until we leftII invite you to connect with me on
Instagram: @LizVaccariello.Something Occurred to MeAbout Doing the DishesRead, Reuse, Recycle
Good news! If you receive your
copy of Real Simple in a plastic
polybag, you can recycle it
wherever number 4 plastic
is accepted. To find a conve-
nient collection spot near you,
visit plasticfilmrecycling.org.
(Though we’ve found it also
comes in handy as a trash bag
in the car.)for college. (Dad took over from there and
remained on kitchen-cleanup duty the
rest of his life.)
The scene of my sister, parents, and
me sitting around that table, often for an
hour or two after dinner ended, is my
mental family portrait. Sara and I would
eventually rise to clean, but my parents
stayed seated and enjoyed their coffee.
Dish duty signaled the end to the only
part of the day when we were reliably all
together. I realize there must be a con-
necting thread from my upbringing to
the satisfaction the chore brings me now.
Routines carve our consciousness.
Recently I walked my 15-year-old daugh-
ters through the task (yes, I know it’s a
bit overdue). I hope they will also linger
with us, relishing the satisfying before-
and-after of a shared meal, then joining
in the caretaking of the family space. Will
they consider it a ritual to cherish? Time
will tell. But I do know I’m finding it hard
to give up the cleanup (and to hold my
tongue when they do it their way).
I hope you’ve been enjoying our new
column, My Simple Realization (page
16). It’s where writers work out mean-
ingful connections of their own. Some-
times a new way to think about something
can make life easier. In my case, it was
that one person’s chore can be another
person’s peace.Editor’s NoteHAIR BY LINH NGUYEN FOR SEE MANAGEMENT USING ORIBE; CUT BY NUNZIO SAVIANO; MAKEUP BY LINDSEY WILLIAMSFOR LOWE & CO. USING REALHER MAKEUP. TOP; NANUSHKA.COMFOR SIMILAR. EARRINGS; JCREW.COMFOR SIMILAR4 REAL SIMPLE APRIL 2020 Photograph by Tawni Bannister0420EDN.V3.indd 4 FINAL 2/26/20 1:10 PM