Illustration photo: Huffington Post
Last Friday I awoke to the sounds of gushing water from the kitchen. It actually sounded like a small, gurgling stream. Bleary-eyed, I rolled off the bed and went to see what’s the deal; I discovered a small lake spreading out from under the kitchen sink.
Of course, I did what any rational woman would do in such a situation – I ran to shake my husband awake, panting, “Quick! Quick! There’s an emergency! We’re all drowning!”. My husband opened one eye, stepped into the kitchen, took a look at the whole thing and closed off the pipeline leading to the sink. While I was mopping up this miniature Lake Windermere, he remarked, “Well, at least the kitchen floor will be clean.”
He explained to me that there’s something wrong with the kitchen pipeline (you don’t say?!). Did it rust through? Got nibbled on by mice? Punctured by evil aliens? I didn’t care; I just wanted the use of my kitchen sink back. It didn’t help that Friday is the busiest day in Orthodox Jewish households, growing progressively crazier as the clock ticks toward afternoon and the lighting of Shabbat candles.
In case you are wondering, washing dishes in the bathroom sink is not very convenient.
I’m sure my husband, who is a real handyman, will put this right eventually, but this kitchen sink incident got me thinking of all the other things we normally take for granted – our comforts and conveniences, the abundance of food and clothes, our spacious, well-heated homes, our civil rights and freedoms, our families, health, and very life. So let us stop for a moment to appreciate it all. Celebrate the kitchen sink!
This week we marked our son Israel’s second birthday. I am so happy and grateful to be the mother of this little boy. With my older girls, I was very young and newly married and it was Mommy Boot Camp all the way for the most part. But once Tehilla, our second daughter, was out of her toddler years and I realized I might never have another baby again, I shed many tears. When Israel was born all felt like a gift; it still does. For the past two years, I am grateful to say I have been able to appreciate so many things about his infancy and toddlerhood – just relax, enjoy and let go. We all sit on the floor a lot, playing with Lego, blocks or toy trains, and I no longer have that itch telling me I have to get going and move on to do something more important.
I guess this post is just a record of thanksgiving. For children, families, life, and comfortable homes with modern conveniences. I thank God for what I have, really I do.
Just please, fix that kitchen sink.
Domestic Felicity 
יום הולדת שמח לישראל בן חנה!
Happy Birthday to Yisrael ben Hanah (or whatever your Hebrew name is)! And, may your family all be healthy and happy, with a fixed kitchen sink.
A few years ago the pipe between our kitchen sink and the outside world was like a sieve and had to be fixed. We rent, and it was our landlady’s responsibility. But, the poor people downstairs! Their kitchen wall was sopping wet from it!
The fix was good; no more problems. 😉
Shabbat shalom umevorah!
Chava
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Thank you so much, Chava! I do know I will appreciate that kitchen sink so much more when it is fixed again.
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We had a pipe that was stopped up and it took a lot of work to get it unstopped. Because of the way our house is, it actually took a few days and it was a major issue. I had to do dishes in the bathroom sink and it was not fun! I know exactly what you mean, I’m thankful for my working kitchen sink and all the other things we have.
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I know I won’t grumble about doing the dishes for a long time after this sink is fixed! These incidents do help keep things in proportion.
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Been there; done that. And yes, yelling for hubby is a perfectly logical thing to do!
As a matter of fact, I’ve never had the sink *completely* out of commission, but I have lived with the sink in the other room, had no running water in the house, and once called The Squire in a panic to tell him the water pump had exploded. (Not all at once, thank Heaven!)
In the case of the water pump “exploding”, the pipe from the pump to the holding tank had popped off; there was no pressure to stop the pump, and it was merrily spewing water everywhere. So, yeah. It *did* explode.
If there is nothing wrong with the drain, you can put a large pan (the roasting pan?) in the sink, bring hot water from the bathroom, and do your dishes that way. It isn’t perfect, but it keeps you off your knees. (Do your children and pets also want to “help”?)
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Dani, I do prefer running water to do the dishes. Never mind, roughing it for a while hasn’t hurt anyone!
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Great post! It’s good to remember sometimes that not everyone has running water and a kitchen sink to wash dishes, a warm bed to sleep in, the use of their eyes, etc. Everything we have is a gift from God.
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Just so.
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