Saturday 7 August 2010

MY LIFE; LIKE A SERVANT IN THE 'OLDEN DAYS'

I have been feeling tired today - doggone tired, tired in my bones.

I am tired of housework, kids, being responsible, always having to think three steps in advance, never being able to stop as things will just pile up, running a business, keeping up with emails, blogging, tweeting, worrying about money, trying to make to make it stretch, organising and managing...

Feeling this way made me take a longing look into the past when I was a twenty-something single gal with nothing to worry about except making it to work on time.  Weekends stretched on, holidays were bliss.  I was the epitome of footloose and fancy free. 

Now, as you can imagine, feeling tired and worn-down and reminiscing about your past isn't conducive to an upbeat frame of mind but I was saved by a revelation.  While scrubbing at the crusty dishes tonight it dawned on me that my life now had parellels to those of a servant in the 'olden days'.  Not that I am often tied up in an apron scrubbing at floors and drawing baths for people but that I am engaged in activity of some sort from very early in the morning to late at night. 

You would think this connection might sink me into a deeper depression but it had the opposite effect.  It helped me see that I am so lucky as the housework I do is in my house, I am wiping the noses of my kids, I am balancing the books on my business and I above all, I was lucky enough to choose this life.  Plus, there's also that little added bonus that my life expectancy is a hell of a lot longer!

4 comments:

  1. Love this. Next time my husband grumbles about doing dishes I am going to motivate him by using the same parallel, switching out 'house maid' for 'house boy' ;)
    xx Chloe

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  2. I hear ya! I'm also finding the school hols quite challenging (why I decided now would be a good time to declutter my home, I don't know...). I like how you turned it round, though. Being reminded of the silver lining makes a big difference to how we cope/if we cope, so big thanks for that!

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  3. Oh! I like House Boy - I may have to try that too! And Danielle, there is never a good time to declutter!! x

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  4. What a fab perspective! Thanks for sharing and I too am going too use this on my hubby!

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