The Dishwasher Dilemma: How to Simplify Your Life and Reduce Stress

Here’s a story on how a dishwasher changed our life.

A year ago today we packed up our car with our two dogs and drove off for what we thought might be a few months of travel in the south west. This decision came about relatively quickly and all happened pretty fast. We had always wanted to travel for substantial amounts of time and not have to call into work for time off. That was the goal. Maybe someday, we thought down the road.

But if I can rewind just a little bit the journey was planted in the fall/winter of 2019 when we decided to buy a dishwasher. We were living in a cozy older home that didn't have a dishwasher and after a few years we decided it was time that changed. If you don't have a dishwasher its safe to say you probably think about or discuss how much better your life would be if you did have one. So we bought one. Then we decided it wouldn't be that much more money to get new countertops, sink and do a mini renovation. Nothing major. That decision turned into a new window above the sink, completely redoing the layout of the kitchen and long story short; a completely new kitchen, living room and laundry room. So our new dishwasher turned into basically a whole new house.

Our lives were changing around us a lot at the same time as the reno. At the same time the pandemic had hit and I went from driving house to house working with clients in home to literally overnight that being gone. Nothing. My wife who was 10 years into a dental hygiene career was sent home from work for several weeks as the office had closed. Lots of uncertainty at the time to say the least.

We CHOSE not to focus on the uncertainty and rather what this unique time in our life could offer us as an opportunity. It'll all work out is a thought we were committed to. I had for months been contemplating what taking my coaching online might look like. The pandemic pushed me into the deep end of pursuing that 100% before I was ready. My wife had long wondered what life outside the dental office would look like. It had been a great career but she was feeling it had run its course in her life. Here we were now living out that reality. What we always wanted. Who knew it'd show up this way?

Those several weeks together we started to see how life could look and feel different... in a good way. We had always wanted to create a life where we didn't spend 10-12 hours a day apart. Nothing wrong with people or couples who do. I get it, but that wasn't our goal. Not what we wanted.

As this was unfolding we were making good progress on the kitchen. Eventually we finished it in the summer/fall of 2020 and we were SO happy with how it turned out.

Somewhere along the way we looked around and thought "this looks great but it feels like it's time to go, it's time for somebody else to enjoy this house. We didn't do this for ourselves, it was for the next person to have."

We didn't really know what that meant for us...We asked ourselves "well what would be the first step?" Get it listed I suppose and go from there. So we put a sign in the yard and a few hours later we took it out. We had a verbal commitment and then a week later we had a written contract.

It was becoming quickly obvious that the steps we were taking were aligned because when you follow your heart and take inspired action things have a magical way of opening up for you with ease. As if to remind you that this is the best choice for you right now.

A month or so later we were packing up and leaving the driveway for the last time.

Our dishwasher purchase had spiraled into much more than we thought at the time.

The point and I hope the lesson here is this:

This an example of how the "littlest" choices in our life can have the biggest impact. How the "worst" of circumstances can push you to do things before you are ready. And how when you are focused and committed on what you DO WANT the world has a crazy way of offering you more and more of it. You always get what you ask for even when you don't know it.

As long as you are looking for the signs. As long as you are open to the perspective that whatever unfolds in front of you is FOR YOUR OWN GOOD.

This story isn't unique to us. There are things happening in your life right now that are going to change your life in ways you cant imagine. But when your focus in life is that everything is happening for your greatest good, growth and experience then the universe has no choice but to oblige.

So count your blessings today and always find gratitude in the seemingly smallest of life's gifts or happenings. Having that perspective allows for more blessings and reasons to be grateful.

You never know what your next decision will bring you down the road.