I have been feeling a teeny bit frustrated in recent days because I have a long list of lovely things I want to do and places I want to go, but my gallivanting has been curtailed by domestic activities. The domestic chores are not arduous, or even unpleasant , so why the frustration, I ask myself? Is it because I am dividing the world in to pleasant and unpleasant, fun and duty, good and bad? Is it the old “you can only play (happy times) once you have done your homework ( dutiful times)” syndrome niggling away in my brain? A variation of the punishment and reward system that pervades our thinking and our society. Perhaps…..
In an attempt to eliminate frustration and refresh my thinking, I decided that today I would challenge myself to make the domesticities of my day as fun and inspiring as my gallivanting. Here’s a sample of my day’s domestic amusements.
I made lunch and enjoyed a cup of my favourite Trade Aid coffee.
after which I did a few rows of knitting and read a few pages of the book I was given for Christmas
Then it was time to bring in the washing, cook the dinner and feed the animals and walk the dog……..but that’s enough photos for one day.
So , how did I go with my challenge? I had fun. My frustration levels are lower but ,deep down, I suspect that, no matter how hard I try, doing the laundry will never be as inspiring as walk in the park. But, who knows, if I keep challenging myself, anything is possible!
Footnote:
I deliberately chose to photograph the section of the newspaper that covers the State of the Nation report by the Salvation Army. The report says that the Government is not doing enough to reduce child poverty, create jobs or improve housing affordability. I have not read the report itself but it seems to me that we all need to challenge our thinking on social justice. Our social policies, put in place, over the years, by the people we vote for, appear to be rooted in the same old punishment and reward type ideologies which have haunted our society forever and a day. This means that people are inevitably assessed and judged as worthy or unworthy of support. The end result is our current society where violent offences against children have increased by 84% in the five years up to July 2012.
© silkannthreades