Use this as a self-guided meditation to practice finding what matters most in the every day.
Gather:
- Clean, unfolded laundry
- Something to write with / on
- A snack
- (A friend, why not?!)
Introduction:
Humanity has long held up the good the true and the beautiful as core virtues. For me, these all stem from God, because this is who God is. God, and thus these qualities of God, pervade the whole world, though we may not always see. But if God is in everything, everything has the potential to reveal goodness, truth and beauty to us, indeed, to reveal something of God. Whether or not you share these beliefs, consider this an invitation to experiment, and see what happens.
Invocation:
Breathe in: God, where are you in this?
Breathe out: Meet me in the ordinary.
Preparation:
St. Teresa of Avila speaks of the true test of spirituality as being practical; cautioning away from thinking spirituality consists in simply thinking of God, for “God is among the pots and pans.” (Book of Foundations)
She writes elsewhere: “If contemplation and mental prayer and vocal prayer and the care of the sick and serving about the house and doing menial work even of the lowest sort all serve the guest who comes to be with us and to dine and refresh himself with us, why should we concern ourselves whether we serve him in one way or another”? (The Way of Perfection)
- What ideas/thoughts/emotions does the idea of “chores” bring to mind?
- Are chores different from other kinds of work? How?
- What early memories do you have of doing chores? What is your experience of chores like now?
- How do chores connect to love? To your sense of spirituality?
Experiment:
Begin folding laundry, with intention and purpose. This may affect your speed, or it may not. If you’re with a friend, pass a few minutes chatting and enjoying each others’ company. Then proceed to . . .
- Fold for 5 minutes in silence.
- Fold for 5 minutes more, asking “God, what do you have for me in this?”
- Fold for 5 minutes in silence, seeking only to hold a posture of love.
Reflection:
- What happens when you talk? When you are silent?
- What happens when you work with intentional love?
- What emotions did you notice?
- Where did your thoughts wander to the past or future?
Storytelling:
Set a 10 minute timer. For each ten minute burst, work to creating something in response to this experience (writing, drawing,sketching, poem/prose/cartoon – whatever you like). When the timer goes off, stand up and stretch or shake your body. Repeat two more times.
Conclusion:
From Spiritual Letters of Father Hughson:
“The sun was struggling through the mist as I passed the farmyard. The buildings are of a very simple kind of red brick, with tiled roofs, flanked here and there by a bit of a turret. Across the yard was strung a clothesline with the wash on it. Some of the garments were bright colored, red or yellow, and the combination, drab in themselves as these things were, made a picture for an artist, as they shone in the mist, half silver, half gold in the rluctant sunlight. I had to stop for a minute and admire it. It brought to my mind a couplet of old Alexander Smith: “
‘ . . . the world is very lovely, O my God,
I thank Thee that I live in it.”
Offer an expression of gratitude to close your meditation.
