“the lazy man’s load”

A table I set with our “Mrs. Adelaide at Home” tabletop choices.

My dear aunt, know affectionately as “Grandma Nancy”, reminds me about her parents (my grandparents) repeated saying, “Don’t take the lazy man’s load”. We have tried to adopt this idea into the way we set the table, clear the table and clean up after a meal. It means a lot to me because it helps me to slow down and not only to be careful with the things I’m carrying or removing from the table, but it also helps me to be able to pay attention and participate in the enjoyable clean up time conversations.

In fact, the conversations before and after the meals are as much a way to connect and catch up further and maybe more in depth with loved ones as they are during the actual mealtime. By not taking the Lazy Man Load, we can slowly and carefully complete our task and feel good about paying attention to the details and feel good about doing a job well done.

The phrase, the lazy man load, comes from carrying too much during the first load to save taking a second load. It’s some folk wisdom. I feel more calm and satisfied when I can complete a task more intentionally, especially if I can clean up with another person. Taking a few extra trips or minutes to complete a task, gives us a chance to calmly work together with a friend or loved one. But, either with another person or not, let’s slow down and enjoy our time as we clean up and think about and appreciate the efforts and care that went into preparing our meal, whether we are eating alone or in community with friends and loved ones. Slowly enjoying our time together.

Please add your own special thought and comment below. I would love to hear your thoughts, if you have time. Thank you!