Why does it feel like a defeat? Like a failure?
For years, I’ve dreamed of this day, and I think I’ve finally made it. I have reached a time when I can hire help to clean my house. Why then, can’t I bring myself to do it?
We were very fortunate as a young family. I was able to stay home with the kids for several years. We had to make some sacrifices to make that happen, though. We drove our old cars. Our vacations weren’t fancy family trips to Disney World—we went to Grandma’s house.
But it was worth it.
I took my job of “domestic engineer” very seriously . . . meticulously researching the best methods and products to clean, repair, and feed my family. I attended countless Tupperware and Pampered Chef parties to learn the latest techniques and recipes.
My husband loves to tell the Cutco story. We were part of a group of 12 couples that got together regularly. One year, one of the older children of the group was selling Cutco knives. The knives were fantastic. They could chop and slice anything with ease. They were perhaps the sharpest knives that any of us had ever owned. Most of my friends were also dedicated domestic engineers. We all hosted Cutco parties and bought knives from each other. For the next few months of get togethers we could tell who had new knives by the number of Band Aids adorning their hands! We still laugh about it every time we take our knives out of the box.
So now it’s time to get some help around the house. We are both working every day, and for a long time now, we have spent every weekend cleaning up. It was easy to hire someone to cut the grass. Maybe one day we’ll even hire a pool boy. Can I still say that?! I like the mental picture . . . muscular tanned body, bright blue swim trunks . . . skillfully skimming the leaves out of the pool. Should we build a cabana to complete the fantasy?
Why is it so hard for me to hire a cleaning company? I’ve used the “we have dogs” excuse again and again. It’s really not a legitimate excuse. Our dogs love everyone.
And time is running out. In two weeks, my sister and her family are making the trek from Georgia to visit. At our house, this means it’s time to clean. When the kids were little and Grandma and Grandpa came for a visit, everyone pitched in. Back then, it was mostly the kids’ stuff all around the house. Once the kids left, I thought the house would be so much cleaner. Chalk that up to one more thing I got wrong. So it’s time to get some help.
But first, I’d better clean, and clean fast.
The cleaning staff can’t see our stacks and stacks of books and papers. They wouldn’t know where to put things away. And if they move all those stacks, we won’t know where to find things. Nor can I let them find the piles of laundry. How embarrassing. I asked my husband to help me clean before the cleaning company arrived. He thought that was the craziest thing ever.
He just doesn’t understand the importance of the situation.
Company is coming.