Last updated on June 23, 2015
Dust if you must,
but it might be better,
to paint a picture or write a letter,
to bake a cake or plant a seed,
to ponder the gap between want and need.
Dust if you must,
but theres not much time,
with rivers to swim and mountains to climb,
music to hear and books to read,
friends to cherish and life to lead,
Dust if you must,
but the worlds out there,
with sun in your eyes and wind in your hair,
a flutter of snow a show of rain,
this day will NOT come around again
Dust if you must,
but bare in mind,
old age will come and it mightn’t be kind,
and when you go, and go you must,
YOU, yourself will make more dust!
(Author Rose Milligan 1998)
This poem pretty much sums it up. Household chores are not a priority in my life. Our house is inviting and cozy, but not spotless. Nobody gets a nervous breakdown, when we find a hidden dust bunny under the bed, or animal hair on the furniture.
Life’s too short to clean and dust all the time, I learned it a long time ago. I tried to be “perfect” when were newly weds, could never live up to all the expectations I had made. The perfect wife, the perfect home, the perfect family…doesn’t exist and if they do exist, then I wonder if they are happy.
I had an ongoing war with dust for years, now I have accepted the fact that there will always be dust somewhere and it’s alright.
Those Dishes Won’t Do Themselves
What’s the household task you most dislike doing? Why do you think that is — is it the task itself, or something more?
I am a bit like wscottling who commented above. Dusting on a routine regular basis is so soul -destroying I can’t face it. I prefer to dust p.r.n. ( as required) and I have been known to reach that snapping point in the heat of summer and exclaim, This house has to be cleaned!” It looks and smells so nice when it is clean, that is the temptation that draws me in, but I am certainly not going to spend my life doing it. ( I have a fridge magnet I hand painted of the meme you posted above. It is a nice reminder every day when I open the fridge not to prioritize cleaning over fun!
I was a clean and neat freak for so long. I was fighting a loosing battle, especially with dogs in the house (yep, lets blame it all on the dogs.) I still clean like a maniac once in a while, but I although invented something that I call “sight cleaning”. Everything that’s at sight gets cleaned, the rest…oh well 🙂
You have sight cleaning. I like that. I have exyended cleaning. Basic quick all over clean as often as required or when I have to, and then extended vacuum in xorners and a thorough clean, whoch occurs optimistically anything from every month to every four months!!! Who would have thought there was so many ways to clean!!!
I am mood cleaner as well 🙂
Love the poem. I think the dust bunnies have formed a homeowners association under the bed.
LOL same here. Drives me bananas. Having hard wood floors and dogs doesn’t help much either. I just gave up on being perfect and feel better ever since.
What a marvellous poem! When I worked I always used to spend Saturday cleaning and washing and shopping, week after week after week. Now that I am retired (there, finally said it) I clean when I am fed up of the mess, the dust comes back almost immediately so I have stopped thinking about that, but I do have a blitz every now and then. My criteria are that the bathrooms and the kitchen MUST be clean (though I confess the kitchen is rarely tidy).
Thought it was time I popped in to see what you get up to as I don’t get to meet everyone in the now abandoned salon any more. I wonder what she (M-R) is up to with that website of hers!
Jude xx
Oh it is so good to see you. I was wondering about you as well. I am very picky with our bathrooms as well, these are spotless, the rest…oh well what can I say. It’s not me, it’s always my husband and the dogs :-). I have no idea what MR is up to. Couldn’t take the back and forth anymore and stopped following her. Well congratulation on retirement.
I ‘retired’ several years ago, but don’t like think of myself as being retired – makes me feel so OLD 😉 I am an ex-smoker too! Quit in 2005 so coming up to my 10th anniversary.
Wow…congratulations from one ex-smoker to another. Well done!
Now if only you can tell me how to lose all the weight I have put on since then I’d be very happy 😉
Good one 🙂 Can’t help you I am in menopause hell 🙂
Ah, been there, done that. No-one told me how long it can last! Anything I can help you with? I have an email contact on my site if you wish to remain private.
That is very sweet of you. I am alright, ordered a natural hormone cream and it seems to make a big difference (knock on wood). I hope it doesn’t last long.
Hee-hee… Awesome 😀
I’m with you!
If you leave the dust alone it will finally settle in the corners of the room like snow. It doesn’t do any harm and will certainly give you time to do other things.
They say, that dust carries a lot of good bugs that will strenghten your immunity and that asthma for instance can be caused by too great an obsession with getting rid of dust.
I do vacuum though as H doesn’t like dust and dog hairs from Milo take over.
I could use a strengthening of my immune system that’s for sure. There is always dust with animals in the house, I just don’t sweat it anymore. “Welcome to our home..here is the lint roller” LOL
Once upon a time I used to try to fit in my chores in a regimental day for this and day for that so that I had time around the weekend with family as a full time working Mum..
But those days have long gone.. And the Dust is no longer a priority… Living is.. 🙂 Great Poem .. 🙂
Enjoy your week. Hugs Sue
“Once upon a time”…oh so true Sue. I am so glad I am not the only one who came to this conclusion. Wishing you a great week as well. Hugs, Bridget
You are describing me, perhaps….?!
Bravissima , with this post! Over-cleaning the house , has been recognized as a female phobia , nowadays !
I remember those times when I used to play the so called “perfect wife”…… ….. …..
What I hate more is hand dish-washing and doing the beds…
The former , because I like to have a break after lunch or dinner and the latter because of my eternal backache….
A big hug!
I think we got raised to be the perfect wife, then our brain developed further 🙂
I have a weird brain… I’m constantly fighting this inner urge to organize my space and my overall core feeling of “Eh, it’s not that important in the general scheme of things”. When I worked in an office, I’d let everything on my desk go for a while, then I’d snap and my co-workers would hear me yell, “There’s too much stuff on my desk!” before they heard me go into a frenzy of organizing. They thought it was hysterical.
It’s the same with my house. I let it go until I can’t take the messiness anymore then it’s “Ahhhhh! this place is a mess!” and bam! I’ve gotta clean it. And the level of clutter that triggers this “gotta clean… right now!” isn’t always the same. Could be a day, could be a week, could be that piece of paper on the floor that fell off the desk. twitch twitch twitch. My mind is just weird like that.
But normally, I’m like you… it’s just not worth worrying about day to day. I’ve got better stuff to do.
I guess I go with the flow now..if that makes sense. I don’t overdo it anymore and don’t freak out if it’s not perfect. There are day were I really have better things to do and I like it. I can see you frantically cleaning your desk…too funny. That’s one thing I can’t stand…clutter.
My co-workers thought it was hysterical. I bet they took bets to see how long it was between “snaps”. ^_^
All the time is too much, but I have learned by hard experience — never is not nearly enough.
It just doesn’t bother me that much anymore as it did years ago. It gets done when I feel like it, never really gets totally out of hand anyway. But stuff like that doesn’t dictate my life anymore. You should have seen me 30 years ago lol