I’ve often heard it said that humans are creatures of habit. Whether habit or no, many are the daily tasks that one must perform in order to ensure Order be kept, maintained and, occasionally, given an extra polish.
Monotonous work–often used synonymously with terms like ‘tedious’, ‘droning’ and ‘boring’—comprises much of my day; early rising, splash of cold water upon the face, brush hair, teeth, wake the children, make coffee, get out the breakfast items for assembly (the children help assemble), search in the garden for ripe tomatoes, pick lettuce… herbs, wipe up mess after coffee…breakfast, dishes rinse, dishes ‘en washer’, sweeping, hugs and kisses for daddy as he leaves for work, check children’s outfits for stains/holes, check backpacks for stray items, bundle older kids off to school…
From then on there is more cleaning, laundry, gardening (a fancy word for pulling weeds), lunch for my youngest, cleaning up after lunch, more sweeping, mopping, wipe down counters, cupboards, refrigerator, microwave, appliances, table, chairs, vacuuming the office floor, hallway check for stray toys, bathroom 1 cleaning, bathroom 2 cleaning, fold laundry, hang shirts, et cetera.
Reading the above even I have to admit it sounds daunting for such to be worked on in the same way, every day. However, despite the apparent repetitious nature of my diurnal endeavors, I found (some years ago) that there is–hidden in monotony–a resource far more precious than any money can buy.
Time.
Having finished these tasks there is suddenly time for play, for singing, for dancing, for reading, for writing, for smelling of roses, for sewing, for projects, for laughter and all the things that make life just a little bit better. In contrast I do have several friends whom hire people to do for them the ‘housekeeping’ work that I do daily; they arrive home each night to an enviably clean domicile… exhausted. I used to think ‘how nice it would be to–like them–have a maid and have all that time freed up’, but to my surprise they inform me that those little bits of time that I procure all but escaped them. They constantly wonder where Time has gone.
Monotony has its uses; efficiency in movements is one. Having discovered that spare time lies hidden in finished tasks, I found ways to speed up those tasks to fruition… to get them over with, as soon as humanly possible. The end result is worth it: to be able to romp and play with tiny feet just a bit more, to type a few more lines, or read a bit more prose, to laugh at one more amusement, to smell one more rose. There is an additional comfort in these monotonous toils; alongside me floats an invisible badge, the insignia of a group of women, like myself, that over the several millenniums of human existence have found joy in the lifelong career of keeping home. It is world-wide club, encompassing women of all classes, colors and clothes whom daily wash, sweep, launder, cook, comfort, mop, watch children, teach… and live.
Tedious? Droning? Boring? I think not.