Are you avoiding a deeper life? The solution could be close to home

Are you avoiding a deeper life? The solution could be close to home

Not long ago, The New York Times published a fascinating article[1] in which Lydia Sohn, author of Here: A Spirituality of Staying in a Culture of Leaving, describes her personal epiphany that housework is not a time-consuming annoyance but a fundamental conduit to Sohn’s creativity and to her family’s wellbeing. 

Yet Sohn’s article is not the testament of a ‘tradwife.’ Rather, it is about her realisation that outsourcing domestic chores in the interests of time-management were in fact eating away at her own intellectual and creative capacities. With COVID forcing her to stay home with two young children, Sohn discovered how the quotidian routine of sweeping, cleaning and tidying afforded her the contemplative space for unexpected breakthroughs in problem solving and originality. As she explains:

Researchers have found that we’re more likely to overcome a relational or work-related impasse not when we are hunched over our desks in rapt concentration or collaborating in a Zoom meeting, but rather on breaks when we do boring activities or when our minds wander. Approximately one-fifth of our most creative ideas emerge during those times.

In other words, there’s an alchemical process that happens when our bodies are occupied with the mundane or routine: walking the dog, mopping the floor, pruning the shrubs, or washing the car. Our minds are free to wander, and as long as they wander towards positive rather than negative places, they’re likely to carry helpful and constructive ideas or solutions back into our consciousness.

At Koala Eco, we’re often sharing the therapeutic value of using household products that offer sensory as well as hygienic benefits. For example, disinfecting floors and surfaces with cleaners smelling naturally of uplifting and invigorating essential oils from Mandarin, Peppermint and Lemon Myrtle makes for a much more pleasurable experience than most other alternatives. So if you want to follow Sohn’s example and embrace the generative power of housework, treat your mind to the head-clearing aromas of nature’s super-healers.

[1] ‘The Household Chores You’re Avoiding Are Key to a Deeper Life’ The New York Times, Aug 31, 2024

 

← Older Post Newer Post →

Creating a bridge between the known and the unknown with Lisa Lapointe

Creating a bridge between the known and the unknown with Lisa Lapointe

The intersections between spirit, nature, and the occult are the inspirations for the drawings, textiles and ceramics of multidisciplinary artist Lisa Lapointe, who lives with...

Read more
Art and science, in essence

Art and science, in essence

An appreciation of the farms where we source our essential oils  What’s your favourite botanical scent?  Would it be the medicinal crispness of tea tree?...

Read more
Do natural laundry detergents work?

Do natural laundry detergents work?

Koala Eco is an independent family-owned business that makes natural, plant-derived products for a clean home, body and mind.  We use nature’s cleaning superpower: the...

Read more
Celebrating the biggest Mother of us all

Celebrating the biggest Mother of us all

Spend Mother’s Day outside in nature’s ‘family’ It’s a day when, traditionally, Mum is supposed to be treated to breakfast in bed, showered with endearing...

Read more
A Simple Way to Reduce the Chemical Load on Your Body: Wash Your Fruits and Vegetables

A Simple Way to Reduce the Chemical Load on Your Body: Wash Your Fruits and Vegetables

In today’s world, the food we consume is often laden with pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, and other chemical residues. Even organic produce can carry traces of...

Read more
Nature’s balance of familiarity and awe

Nature’s balance of familiarity and awe

Reflections on the deeper meaning behind ‘More Nature, Feel Better’ In her classic nature memoir The Living Mountain, the late Scottish hill walker Nan Shepherd...

Read more