Spring Chicken

I've always enjoyed doing housework! I like to vacuum, dust, and spritz all the glass in the house with Windex. Nothing makes me happier than to walk into our home and smell Lemon Pledge and Febreeze. I don't think I could live without an air freshener in both bathrooms, and an extra one in the master bedroom. Having everything clean and straight and bright simply makes me happy. Then I got older.

I find that its more difficult these days to keep up with the maintenance of a 2,000 sf home. I use to move the couch to vacuum, not any more. I use to stand on a kitchen chair in order to dust the ceiling fan. Not any more. I use to scrub the bathtub with all the elbow grease I could muster. Not any more. Sometimes my heart beats so fast, I need to sit down and gather my wits. I may break out in a sweat after a marathon of Sunday morning housework. Use to call it good exercise. Not any more.

I need someone to clean my house when I'm not looking. A wonderful person who will not only wash the whites in hot water, but also fold them "just so." I pray for a person that will see the cobwebs without having to put their bifocals on first. I wish for a 40-something person that can easily get the ring out of the bathtub and wash the horizontal blinds in the kitchen. Also, this person should know how to shake a rug, chase dust bunnies out of the house, flip the mattress over and get the pet stains off the main staircase.

I'm too tired to keep up with it all. At this point in my life I'd rather read People Magazine or file my nails while eating a bag of caramels. My house is neat and tidy and put together. My husband loves that dirty dishes are never left in the sink and his socks are always in the second dresser drawer. The cat loves that she has fresh water and dry food every day, and the dog just assumes that her kibble bowl will be full and topped with a dog bone. It's all work and someone has to do it.

So, all I'm saying is this:
I'm 60 years old and I'm slowing down some. Just be grateful that I remember how to run the washer, turn on the stove, and flush the toilet after going No. #2. My priorities are changing and someday soon I may just sit down with a good book and say (to no one in particular) I don't care about the dust, the pet hair, the fingerprints on the mirror. I'm going to take care of me first.

I will now step down from my Tide soap box.