Feed the Demon

When I first ran away from home I got a job washing dishes at a fancy Italian restaurant. I loved it. When I phoned my mother to tell her she said
"You'll never amount to anything if you like washing dishes."

Agatha Christie said "The best time for planning a book is while you’re doing the dishes."

Thích Nhất Hạnh said
“If while washing dishes, we think only of the cup of tea that awaits us, thus hurrying to get the dishes out of the way as if they were a nuisance, then we are not “washing the dishes to wash the dishes.” What’s more, we are not alive during the time we are washing the dishes. In fact we are completely incapable of realizing the miracle of life while standing at the sink. If we can’t wash the dishes, the chances are we won’t be able to drink our tea either. While drinking the cup of tea, we will only be thinking of other things, barely aware of the cup in our hands. Thus we are sucked away into the future -and we are incapable of actually living one minute of life.”
― Thích Nhất Hạnh, The Miracle of Mindfulness

"If you think this teaching merely applies to dishes, think again. We live in a world of constant distraction and the dish can be substituted for almost anything that requires our attention, from the mundane to the mind boggling. When we are fully concentrated on the task, that’s when we achieve what psychologist Mihalyi Cskszentmihalyi called “flow.” This has also been referred to as the “white moment” that athletes and performers experience, and I frequently have these moments while immersed in playing music or writing. Everything seems to fall away and I am fully connected on the task or experience."
― Michael P. Naughton

If you find yourself without a dishwasher, or maybe facing writer’s block and must roll up your sleeves to do this dreaded chore, remember to enjoy the moment and either focus on the simplicity of the moment or your next great mystery. Either way, you have made your world a better place
― Michael P. Naughton

Another lesson here is to find an inspiring quote to feed the demon rattling around in your head.