I’m an expert at doing dishes – thanks to growing up in a family that ate three square meals a day (home cooked of course), that thought the kitchen work belonged to women, and who did not own a dishwasher until long after I had left home. And so, doing the dishes was my chore. Lots and lots of them.
My approach to the dishes is not much different to the challenging work we face as adults. There are many times we do need to let things soak. To give them a bit more time, more reflection, and to avoid doing something rash or premature. And when we do that, we often find that, just like with the pots, that time in the right environment, has performed magic. What would have taken much effort can now be done quickly and easily.
There are other times that “letting it soak” is a mere excuse for avoiding something, for deferring the work that must be done. Getting to “it” in a day or two turns into weeks, then months and sometimes a lifetime. Waiting for the additional data or money or courage or information stalls us unnecessarily and becomes our rationalized excuse for not taking action.
So how do you discern if “letting it soak” is a good strategy or merely an avoidance mechanism? You might ask yourself these two questions…
