Here There and Everywhere

Oddly Satisfying Conversation

We had a lovely weekend, a confirmation of a much-loved young friend, and gathering afterwards in her home with other close friends.

On our way home, AdventureMan was laughing so hard he almost couldn’t drive. He had asked me about the serious conversation I had been having with the host.

“We were talking about loading the dishwasher,” I told him, not thinking to incite this hilarity.

When you run into someone who shares your interests, it can lead to a great conversation. I love doing dishes. I find it meditative. I like gathering them and rinsing them and stacking them. The host agreed with me that my loading his dishwasher would not be a good thing.

People who LIKE loading dishwashers have their own ideas about how it needs to be done, it’s like we have inner patterns that must be met. I want to load my dishwasher because I unload the dishwasher, and if I load it, I have all the things together that need to be unloaded together. I like to unload and put away because I like to know where things are in my kitchen. If I put them away, it is always in the same place.

I think it’s OK to be a little bit obsessive about a few things!

A friend once laughed because all my spices were in alphabedical order. Now, I’ve changed the pattern; I do this now and then when new ways of achieving efficiency come to mind. Now I have herbs and savories together and baking spices together, and it makes sense to me, but to someone else it might not.

But I’ve discovered it is like a secret club, this need to have order. Some people are not wired this way, but those of us who are can discuss pros and cons of different patterns endlessly and enthusiastically.

And AdventureMan just laughs.

April 15, 2026 - Posted by intlxpatr | Cultural, Family Issues, Home Improvements, Humor, Marriage, Quality of Life Issues