When the Laundry’s Finished
Yesterday as I was rushing to throw in one more load of laundry before I had to get the kids from preschool, a sudden thought came to me: “Did I do chores before I had kids?” I’m sure I did, but I honestly couldn’t recollect a consistent rushing around to get tasks done in the house.
I don’t remember doing laundry. I know I did it because I wore clothes every day, but I don’t remember laundry holding a steady place in my week. My guess is that laundry was reserved for the weekend. Matt and I probably had a hamper that started to overflow, so we’d throw in a few loads when we were running low on underwear or socks. When I was in the Air Force, we dry-cleaned most of our clothes, so remembering to take and pick up my uniforms from the cleaners was my most important laundry responsibility.
I do remember that I loved hosting Bible studies in our home because they forced me to keep the house clean. Once a week, I would give the house a good once-over-vacuuming, dusting, mopping, scrubbing-and the house stayed relatively clean until the day had come to start over again.
While I was placing diapers on the rack to dry yesterday, I smirked remembering how casual and disorganized my life really was back then. I was always tired as a new teacher, yet once I came home from work, I really didn’t do much in the house besides make dinner. How life had changed!
Now, I feel like all I do is laundry and clean, yet the house is never clean, and I’m always behind on laundry. As before, I don’t mop the floor that often but for a very different reason: Now, I get disillusioned when I scrub the kitchen floor only for one of my children to spill milk, drop peanut butter and jelly, turn over the dog bowls, etc., less than 24 hours after I finish the job. It’s more time-efficient to spot clean.
I sighed thinking how wonderful life would be again one day to have only two people’s clothes to throw in the wash.
It would be quiet…
…and I’m not sure I like the quiet.
After all, if it’s quiet, and I’m only doing laundry for two, then I’m not looking at these adorable monkeys every day.
And I want to keep these monkeys around for as long as I can.
Originally published at https://jennifervdavis.com on January 28, 2010.
