For some years I have griped/moaned/whined/bitched about wanting someone to help clean the house. I came to realize the other humans that inhabit this house with me were not the answer to this because they are the ones making the damn mess. I know this because my house was immaculate before I got married and/or gave birth. Finally, I broke down and, as Nike says, just did it. And when I did? I felt like the most bourgie girl on the block...or cul-de-sac, anyway. I mean, really...it's summer and I'm out of school. My appointment book is filled with "Crap I Don't Have To Do But Totally Want To." Things like taking a friend to get her first tattoo and getting my hair did. I totally have time to clean the crapper.
But. When school cranks back up, that ends. Then I'm running on nada. I don't notice the toilets are dirty because I barely have time to park my rump on one. Life becomes wake-eat-school-soccer-homework-grade papers-baths-bed and repeat. That is when I will need someone to save my sanity with a little clean bath action. So, I took preventive measures and found someone early. See, this is sincerely me planning for the future.
As usual, I had a beautiful epiphany out of this experience. There are always things to be learned, even if it's not to wear those pink boy shorts panties with jeans anymore because they ride up something fierce. What I learned is the other humans are much more diligent about their duties when I'm paying someone to clean this joint. Better Half looked at me after the lady had left and said, "I really hate to take a shower. It just...glistens." And it did. He even wiped the sink every day since she came. That is just short of miraculous.
Things just feel better in some ways when we pay for them. Don't get me wrong, I love me a good score of freebies. Sometimes it feels good to get that extra something for nothing. Most of the time, though, we care more about things we have to throw down some moola to get. We just value those things more.
So, the lesson learned is the house stays cleaner when we pay for someone to do it because is costs real, live money. It's not just waiting on Mom to complain about it until we break down and do it to shut her the hell up. The bigger lesson? Maybe we all, like, the entire country, need to start thinking about how free can damage our values.
Sometimes the hand with the freebie is the hand that holds you down.
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