Honey, Is There Something Wrong?
My husband was on his way out of town this weekend. As he was getting ready for the trip early Friday morning, I made my trek to the bathroom. It was around 5 a.m. and I was still in a zombie state when my husband asked, "Is everything all right?" I hesitated to response because I had no idea what he was talking about. OK, I know how bad I look at 5 a.m. but was there something horrible wrong with me? I finally responded, what do you mean? He said I wanted to know what was wrong because the laundry basket in our closet is overflowing. Also, he said there are clean clothes in the basket in the laundry closet. I was completed stunned. I could not believe that he would ask me about my well being because the laundry has not been done. Is this what it takes to get some respect around here? Is he trying to say that working online is not the same as going to an office? That maybe I have all the time in the world to do laundry, vacuum, clean toilets, cook, run the kids all over town, grade papers, facilitate discussion boards, and answer endless mail. Oh, I forgot my 15 minutes of exercise with Denise Austin in the morning. Maybe I should let my body go just like the laundry.
My kids and husband take all the things I do around the house for granted. They automatically assume that I will take care of every aspect of keeping the house clean. My husband accuses me of being obsessed with cleaning and he sometimes calls me a clean freak. It has crossed my mind to go on strike and just let the house become a complete pigsty. Now, it appears that I didn't have to go on strike for my hubby to notice that if someone doesn't do the laundry there may not be clean underwear.
I was brought up in a home where everyone was assigned jobs to do around the house. My mother believed in keeping a clean house and the thought of unwashed dishes in the sink overnight or unmade beds was not an option. As an adult, I kept the same cleaning rituals. My kids must make their beds every morning and clean up after themselves. I cannot stand a chair that is not pushed back under the table and placemats must be free of crumbs and placed in their proper position on the table. I am not sure why I didn't do laundry this week. It wasn't an act of defiance but I just did not care whether the laundry got done. I am not sure whether my husband thinks that I might be exhibiting early signs of Alzheimer's. One thing I know for sure is that the lack of clean underwear can really make your hubby appreciate you more than you know.