CINDY TRANE CHRISTESON -- The Moral of the Story

o7 “To be without some of the things you want is an indispensable

part of happiness.”

f7 -- Bertrand Russell

If necessity is the mother of invention, then perhaps simplicity is

the father of satisfaction.

My family and I were fortunate to be able to eke out one last trip

before school started. We went with my extended family for a fun weekend

on my parents’ boat to Catalina.

We had great weather and warm water. We enjoyed wonderful swimming,

fun kayaking and beautiful hiking. We saw brightly colored fish, a

surprised deer and several buffalo. We also ate many delicious meals.

While we were blessed with so many great things, there was one thing

we didn’t have. We didn’t have a dishwasher. What we did have because of

that, though, was more time together to talk.

Actually, I should say that we had many dishwashers, and we took turns

sharing the duty and sharing our lives around the galley sink.

I remember many special trips to Catalina with my grandparents. They

didn’t have timesaving devices on their boat, which was great because we

weren’t trying to save time. We were sharing time.

We did things together we didn’t do normally. Sometimes the most

memorable conversations took place while doing the most routine things.

We did them together, and we weren’t in a hurry.

I learned about my grandmother’s childhood while cleaning corn and

peeling vegetables. I heard stories of my grandfather’s youth and sailing

adventures while we cleared the table and cleaned the floor. I picked up

bits of wisdom while picking up after meals. I soaked up their stories

while the dishes soaked.

Some of those stories grew better over the years. They were the kinds

of stories that linked our generations.

Did we have to go to Catalina to have those kinds of times together?

Of course not.

You can have those kinds of times without stepping outside your front

door. I was reminded of that several years ago when I had my husband

Jon’s family over for Christmas breakfast.

I had carefully set the table the day before and fixed as much of the

meal ahead of time as possible. I woke up early Christmas morning to

finish the last-minute cooking and cleaning while sipping a fresh cup of

coffee. The minute I turned on the garbage disposal to whisk away the

coffee grounds was the minute I knew my day was not going to go as

planned.

The garbage disposal backed up, and within seconds black coffee

grounds decorated both halves of the sink. I turned off the disposal,

said a quick prayer and just stared at black swirling sludge for a few

minutes. Then I schlepped most of the goo into the garden and covered the

sinks with wooden chopping boards.

Having no garbage disposal didn’t take away from our fun time together

that morning. In fact, it added to it because all 13 of us took part in

cleaning up after breakfast. We emptied scraps into the trash and rinsed

dishes in the laundry room and outside with a hose.

It ended up being quite a bonding time.

Modern conveniences really are wonderful. But everybody ought to do

without them now and then.

And you can quote me on that.

* CINDY TRANE CHRISTESON is a Newport Beach resident who speaks

frequently to parenting groups. She may be reached via e-mail at o7

[email protected] or through the mail at P.O. Box 6140-No. 505,

Newport Beach, CA 92658.