This a.m. on NPR they were interviewing people who have lost their houses & loved ones in the tornadoes that have hit the mid-west. One woman said she had been talking about simplifying her life and asked "how many sets of sheets and towels does one really need?" Good question!
Yesterday I was annoyed and resentful because I have been feeling over-worked and under-appreciated at home (I pick up & drop-off the baby, wash & fill the bottles, make dinner, wash dishes, clean bathrooms, do laundry and go to my job for which I get paid) - my friend told me to stop it, set some limits, and make a schedule where I have a day off or out! I'm going to work on that. But...I was annoyed because the spare bedroom needed to be cleaned up because out of town guests are arriving for my niece's graduation and there were no sheets on the bed, so they needed to be washed and the bed needed to be made up. I had stayed home with the baby because he had conjunctivitis, I was tired, the husband would not be home until after 9 p.m. because he had class, the last thing I wanted to do was to wash sheets and clean the spare bedroom!
Despite the fact that my wise friend is right, I need to set better limits and discuss a schedule with my husband (we're new parents so this division of labor thing is new for us and I hope we'll work it out soon), I stopped and thought about why the spare bedroom needed to be cleaned. My niece, a cancer survivor is graduating from an ivy-league university! I am so excited and proud and happy to have her be a part of our lives! She loves her little cousin (our son), she often asks to babysit, she is funny, smart, beautiful, and I would clean a dozen bedrooms in order to celebrate her graduation.
I married into a large family, which as an only child, is a blessing of sorts. I now have tons of people to call on for help (who also give unsolicited advice). I get to be a part of lots of wonderful celebrations, graduation being one of them. Today, despite my resentment and annoyance, I feel blessed to be able to have a spare bedroom that has a bed that needs clean sheets because this means I have a house that has not been blown away by a tornado. Which reminds me: I need 2 sets of sheets - 1 for my bedroom and 1 for the spare bedroom - which is contrary to what my mother said and modeled growing up - we had sheet sets to share with all of Joplin, MO if they needed!
God bless the people in the path of the tornadoes, may they find their loved ones safe and my they rebuild their lives as quickly as humanly possible.
I just found your blog and am so happy to have done so! I heard the same piece on NPR this morning and it really resonated with me too. I love this post -- congratulations about your niece. I will follow your lead and remind myself of the good reasons we sometimes have to muster up energy to get chores done.
ReplyDeleteI am going to vote for three sets of sheets for two beds. That way it is easy to always have one set clean and ready to go... :)
Thanks! I found your blog searching for moms, etc. and I was taken by the no acknowledgment of Mother's Day because it happened to me (after forgetting my birthday, ignoring our anniversary)! Maybe we can trade husband tips! And yes, I like 3 sets of sheets!!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a good message for all of us- to remember how blessed we are although sometimes it feels like blessed with too much (family and to do"). Let go and breathe my dear friend- all will get done, one way or another.
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