As I get older, I’m having a harder time accepting repetition as a big part of my life. I don’t mean cosmically or philosophically. I mean plain, old, boring repetitive everyday tasks like laundry, dishes, bed-making. Cleaning the bathroom. I always feel as if ‘I just did that’ … yet it’s time to do it again!
How many dirty dishes and how much dirty laundry can two people generate? Apparently, quite a lot.
I never liked routine chores, but I long ago surrendered to their inevitability. Now they seem like a personal affront. What do you mean I have to unload the dishwasher AGAIN??!! I JUST did that!!
I used to find sorting and folding clothes soothing and zen. Not anymore. Instead of sighing and resigning myself to another round of laundry, I rebel, procrastinate. Seriously procrastinate. I recently had to do three loads in the washer and dryer merely to see the TOP of my hamper!
Maybe the political upheaval in the country will help me appreciate anew the reliable, familiar tasks that make up my days. If not, what is going to happen as I get older? Am I going to be one of those people discovered in a pile of filth and garbage in a house that needs to be condemned?
I’m not there yet. But I worry.
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Categories: Getting old, Home, Humor, Personal
SERENDIPITY: SEEKING INTELLIGENT LIFE ON EARTH 
Umm, yea. Dusting. Dusting.
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And no matter how well you do it, before you are finished, there will be a layer of dust all over everything. Again. I could dust continuously and never be done.
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Ellin, this one is so spot on!! I actually was dreaming about it overnight. Yeesh! I’ll just come out with it.
I dread what MUST be done! the de-cluttering of my office, including off-loading the clothing which should have gone a long time ago. It’s like the days of wine and roses battle.
One day at a time. And, I procrastinate.
My name is Garry. I am a procrastinator!
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I find big tasks like decluttering to be overwhelming. I don’t know where to start. That is a whole other level of chores that most people put off until there is a clutter crisis. On the other hand, those are the tasks that give you such a great feeling of accomplishment and catharsis when you do complete them. The daily stuff like dishes don’t have that kind of emotional payoff!
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We actually have TWO rooms that loom — both of our offices have become closets. Garry’s is more cluttered because there’s more stuff in it, but mine contains the collected “important papers” of 26 years. I look at it, shudder, and decide “tomorrow is another day. “
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The beauty of being an empty nester is that I can now put off some of those routine chores. Sure, dishes still need to be washed daily, but is anyone really going to care if there’s a smidgen of dust or an overflowing hamper? Some days, I just want to take it easy, and there are plenty of other days when I’m driven to catch up. I just take it day by day.
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Living with just one other person does make the whole process simpler. When I had kids at home, everything had to get done yesterday. I had to stay on top of everything in the house to keep it running smoothly for everyone. Now I can let things slide – and do.
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Reblogged this on Sarah's Attic Of Treasures and commented:
Well said.
The repetitive of chores was never a real problem until I hit 55. Now, everything thing I do is a chore. Never ending. No thanks ever given.
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Hi Ellin! I can relate to this post in a different way- from the eyes of someone just now becoming an adult. As a kid, I always helped my mom clean the bathrooms and empty the trash bins around the house, etc. But when I lived on my own for the first time back when I was eighteen, I saw for the first time just how freakin often you have to empty the dishwasher and wash your damn clothes. It seems crazy! But, accepting that has been part of my adulting process 🙂
On another note, I love the black and white photo of the kitchen. That’s beautiful.
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You make an interesting point. Accepting the responsibility for household chores is part of growing up. I think at the other end, rebelling against them is part of getting older. You are very mature to see that it’s mastering the details of life that make you an adult, not just the big picture items.
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I have learned to embrace procrastination of certain tasks. I make the bed before going to bed, or I should say I organize the covers. We have a new washing machine with larger capacity. This not only means more at once, and larger items do not have to go to the Laundromat. Dishes? Thankfully there are a lot of coffee cups!
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I have taken to reusing the same coffee cup all day to minimize the dishes. And one water glass per day as well.
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I love that trick. I had coffee this morning and rinsed out the cup for tea this afternoon. It will get washed later, or tomorrow.
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I always feel so much better when it’s done. A maid perchance?
Leslie
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I feel better when the big chores are done. But I don’t get that feeling of satisfaction from the everday ones, like dishes and laundry.
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I still like the feeling when the dishes are done and put away and the laundry is folded and away. Something about the work is done and now it’s my time.
Leslie
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I hear you Ellin, I really do hear you……add food shopping to that list too, seriously we are out of bread and milk, again?
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I used to love food shopping and now I hate it! We have to be out of everything before I even think of going to the supermarket. And nomatter how short my list is, I always end up spending a large sum of money whenever I walk in there. So I go as infrequently now as possible. I also live 20 minutes from the store so it can’t be an everyday trip anyway.
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I finally bought a real vacuum cleaner (as opposed to the very lightweight electric broom). I think I picked up at least a pound of dust and dog hair from the bedroom rug … and the dogs don’t go in there. It was impressive.
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You might as well give up on dog hair. It will always be everywhere. Even AFTER we clean we are still drowning in dog hair. It sticks to everything! The dogs want to make sure we think about them all the time.
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I have reached the exact stage you’re talking about, and I used to be a compulsive cleaner. Tonight, I vacuumed my living room rug and was amazed how bright the colors were after it was cleaned. I thought it had been dulled by the sunlight.
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Our cleaning lady is away for over a month and after 4 weeks, we finally hauled out the vacuum cleaner and at least cleaned the kitchen and family room, where we spend the most of our time. It is gratifying to see sparkling clean materialize from a big accumulation of filth.
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