War Ebook Available!
We see the final battle between the new gods and the old gods, and Kate and Daniel are trying to keep their secrets hidden, or they risk losing all their allies.
So the school assignment, I assume, was the write a letter to your teacher talking about your house. In our latest packet of schoolwork the Pink Tornado brought home, I found this letter. It talked about how big the attic is, how much she liked the house, but also, “My house is very messy.”
Ouch.
Both my parents worked. In the 80′s it was unheard of to plan to be a housewife. In the 90′s we made fun of the wealthy sorority girls who were in school just to get their “MRS” degree. I’ve always wanted to have a career, to do something more than cook and clean and raise children. The thought of being stuck at home being domestic horrified me.
But then it happened. Layoffs facilitated it, to begin with. Being still laid off when the PT came along made it convenient. After the 2007 Lulu.tv layoff, I decided I wanted to focus on my freelance and not stress about getting another job I would then get laid off from. I said I’d take over the domestic duties again, along with working on the freelance career. The freelance career is going pretty well. The domestic part?
Well. You heard her. “My house is very messy.”
Part of it is my usual problem of focus, time management, and priorities. I do the laundry because otherwise we don’t have clothes, and I do cooking so we can eat, and Jim and I do dishes so the kitchen doesn’t become a frightening place that has a life of its own, but the other stuff, clutter, mopping, dusting, cleaning… yeah. Not so much.
I finally decided what was going to change it. First, the wake up call from the innocently honest child helped, but also, I’d been trying to change the way I could look at it. I think we look down on the domestic issues because they’re equated with being under-educated, being in a subservient role, which makes them less palatable, if you can say that scrubbing floors is palatable on any level. So it isn’t just “scrubbing the floor” it’s “look what I’ve been reduced to, scrubbing the floors.”
But it’s all in the way you look at it. In stories, glory is won by questing, by taking up arms and fighting. You strive to be a level 20 paladin, not a level 20 janitor. So let’s switch it around. I have weapons. I have a broom, a mop, and various disinfecting chemicals. And monsters? Good lord, man, my kitchen floor is a hydra – I cut off a head (mop) and it grows two more (spilled orange juice and doggy footprints.) You tell me that’s not a battle?
So it is my desire to develop Domestic Bushido. There are disciplines to maintain, monsters to slay. It’s not enough that you kill the momma dishes beast, you have to kill her babies, the dirty counters and floor, or else you’ll have a worse problem tomorrow.
The scariest thing is that in real war, the war ends and the veterans eventually come home. But the Domestic Bushido’s war is never won. Every day the monsters return. And it is only the strong who are willing to battle them. And as a friend said to me this weekend: in a war that never ends, there are no veterans, just survivors.
I am a warrior.
(And before someone freaks on me, yes, of course I know that housework doesn’t kill innocents and soldiers, cause genocide and rape, destroy infrastructures, etc. I’m not stupid, and I’m not downplaying what real war is. I’m just trying to get the right mindset to clean my damn house.)
[edited for clarity 1:06 pm]
Share and enjoy!
9 Responses to "My house is very messy."
Get the GFL with Discount Code MUR
The Latest from I Should Be Writing- Scrivener review! February 3, 2012
- Fun website stuff February 1, 2012
- A different writing challenge January 31, 2012
- ISBW Special #46 – Stonecoast Writer’s Residency January 30, 2012
- Notice- No interviews for a while January 30, 2012
Looking forward to more in this series, Mur. With myself and my wife working, we’ve had to develop certain disciplines which, most days, amount to doing mortal combat with the Chaos at the Edge of our Lives.
Crazy as it sounds, running a house is as big a challenge as running any business. Yet, we take it for granted.
Insightful and educational. I believe I understand where you’re coming from on this one. A point of contention in my own marital bliss sometimes centers around tasks much as you explain them. This actually helps me understand where my better half is coming from and where her thoughts are in some of our more recent ‘discussions’ on the subject. Good on ya Mur. Thanks for putting pen to paper so to speak.
I can fully relate… but I found this site to be fun and helpful in making the domestic side a little less of a chore.
Here’s to leveling up soon and fighting those evil dust bunnies!
http://www.chorewars.com/
Mur, I think sometimes we have to find the way to entertain and encourage ourselves when doing a lot of stuff that we just don’t like doing
And while, yes, the war may never been completely won, take pride in the battles you do win
Why did I picture this whole thing…as I’m sure it actually happened! I love it!
Let me know when you need for your big sister to come help you with the war!! I may not win the war…but I will KICK ASS in a battle!!!
I always find the stereotypical stance on domestic tasks fascinating. Personally, that term doesn’t even come into my mind when I am forced to vanquish the inevitable household filth. To me it’s just part of living and a shared task with my husband. That’s not to say either of us enjoy those tasks (bathroom and fridge cleanings taking the top of the procrastination list). But, we do enjoy the end result. I always find it a bit strange when a friend remarks on how “domestic” something I just did was. Most of the time I get these remarks when I cook (yeah, when I want cookies, I make them, weird).
I applaud your efforts to remix the household chores and wish you luck. I know how loathsome it is to do undesirable tasks. I’m sure this approach can be applied to other tasks as well, not just the domestic chores.
Wow, that Chore Wars site is really kind of brilliant.
Your blog was entertaining. I hate housework and need to do a lot of it right now. I have laundry, dishes,floor mopping, toilet cleaning, vacuuming, etc. to do at the moment. My husband is laid up after back surgery at the moment. You might enjoy visiting the http://www.flylady.com website where The Fly Lady comes up with weekly missions “fly area” each week such as the kitchen or bedroom, etc. It’s kind of funny and makes housework a little less mundane. It’s silly, but entertaining sometimes. Housework is the kind of thing no one appreciates until it goes undone and then everyone notices.
Signed, Horry County’s Reigning Domestic Goddess 2010, Ha! Ha! (Watch for my upcoming appearance in June in the Sun Fun Parade with the other celebrities in Myrtle Beach)
[...] where else do you find someone who talks about trying to juggle it ALL by ‘just trying to get the right mindset to clean my damn house’ and in doing so refers to gaming analogies? More than once I’ve noticed her mention on [...]