Saturday, November 25, 2006

Putting the hate in housework


I hate housework. My husband likes to remind me that 'hate' is a strong word (I use it alot, but I can't help it -- I'm passionate about things and when I say 'hate', I mean HATE!) but there is nothing appealing about the drudgery of floor washing. Nothing entertaining about pushing a vacuum cleaner back and forth. Nothing remotely satisfying about dusting, especially since the minute you finish, you realize more dust is accumulating. I don't feel the 'Martha' sense of accomplishment when I'm finished, because there is no end in sight, no light at the end of the tunnel, just more crumbs, more dust, more grime.
I make it much worse for myself because instead of just getting on with it, I procrastinate and then feel bad, procrastinate some more, then resent that I just didn't get on with it in the first place.
I'd rather be sitting at my computer writing,(hmmm, like I am now), or running errands, or baking, or reading, or going to the dentist. Now laundry, I can live with. Ironing? Forget it.
The only thing WORSE than housework, is stepping on a crumby kitchen floor, or looking at that scummy soap build-up on the bathroom sink. I do housework only because I hate (there's that word again) the alternative. I like a clean house, eschew a messy kitchen, loathe a grimy bathroom, therefore, I clean.
But seriously,... I'd rather have a root canal.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Oh man... preach it, sister!. I can't stand housework. For me, it's slightly more appealing than earwigs, but only slightly (earwigs, in case you were wondering, are icky bugs here in East TN that have pincers and like to live in dark, damp spots -- and they're called earwigs because of an old wives' tale that they like to get in people's ears).

Like you said, I do housework because the alternative -- nastiness -- is far worse, but... ewwww. Housework is boring and drudgey and blah, and I just try to get it done ASAP so I can move on to the things I really want to do.